Ephemeral
by LeighEm
Summary: In a timeline that should not exist. A corrupt and shattered Hyrule. The absence of a Princess that was never born. And a Hero that has no desire to save the dying land. A dark tale that takes place after Ocarina of Time.
1. Chapter I

**Author's Note:**

Hello,

I just wanted to add in a short introductory note here before we begin. This is a story that began to fester in my brain after my many play-through's of Ocarina of Time and (much) wild imagination. As it is now, I am unsure as to how far I'm planning to take this but I do hope to see this through and finish it completely— however long that will be. This is something I do in my free time when I'm not busy with school or work, so bare with me here. The plot takes place in a post Ocarina timeline (there's actually several timelines going on here) and those are purposely left unexplained right now but will eventually work themselves out as the story progresses. The same characters from the Ocarina world are used.

Enjoy!

Ephemeral

_ephemeral_

_[ih-fem-er-uh l] _

_adjective_

_lasting a very short time; short-lived; transitory_

**Chapter I**

"No, stop!" I shriek as I run across the vast open plains. Nothing lay ahead of me— yet everything does simultaneously. Tall grass that flutters in the wind, scattered trees filled with birds, a lazy cerulean sky dotted with fluffs of white cotton. The sun covers me in an ethereal light that makes everything seem brighter than what it is. It's warm.

I'm breathing so hard I feel like I'm going to collapse, but I can't stop, I must keep running or he'll catch me. I gasp as my pink slipper catches on the fabric of my dress, the lace gives way and I stumble forward catching myself with my hands.

"Gotcha!"

Breath escapes me as a force collides with my back and I'm sent hurtling towards the ground. I feel arms securely wrapped around me as we roll down a small slope, barreling through grass and twigs along the way. When we finally come to a stop I do nothing but lay in still silence. It isn't until our heavy breathing ceases that I finally hear the songs of the birds around me, or the rustle of leaves that occupancy them. The air is fresh. It feels so nice to finally be free.

Slowly, I roll over and off of the lump below me. The arms that acted as both a safety net and shackles during our tumble release me. I stand up and brush off my white dress only to realize with disdain that the smears of dirt are in fact stains. I let out a cry of frustration.

"You got my dress all dirty! Look what you did!" I turn around to face the boy on the ground, pointing to the brown streaks of mud with angry emphasis.

The boy just stares back at me with that aggravating expression of nonchalance. Tucking his arms behind his head and crossing one leg over another, he sticks a long piece of grass in between his teeth and grins.

"Stop worrying so much, we can just go wash it out," he chews. "Besides, brown looks good on you."

I let out an angry huff— naturally this would be his reaction.

"Easy for you to say!" I position my hands on my hips and try my best to scrunch my eyebrows together to show how irritated I am. "Now I'm really gunna be in trouble!"

The boy continues to gnaw on his stupid piece of grass but finally breaks eye contact with me and stares at the sky instead. "Mmm… just say you spilled chocolate on it."

I watch as the wind plays with his blonde bangs, they look like golden feathers. A smile tugs at the corners of my lips. Letting out another huff, I shake my head, now is not the time to be getting all soft.

"Chocolate? Really? Like I'm even allowed to eat such a thing," I look away and sniff. There's a figure in the distance but it's so far away I can barely tell it's even human. Probably the postman.

Something touches my arm and I jerk with a start before I realize it's just the boy. He stares at me with an expression that confuses me. He's not so nonchalant anymore but now it's something else… sadness? Why would he be sad?

"I'm sorry I ruined your dress."

I purse my lips in a tight line, weighing the apology in my head. My pride tells me to keep my arms folded at my chest but I'm getting tired of being mad.

I sigh, "It's okay. I shouldn't have worn white."

"I'll help you wash it," he offers then adds, "And I'll get some chocolate for you before I take you back, alright?"

I giggle in a way like little kids do and nod. The boy reaches for my hand and I look down to grab it but instead I hear a loud yell in the distance and instinctively I know what it means. A cold sweat shivers down my spine and panic crosses my face. Maybe it wasn't the postman.

"No!" I gasp.

The boy mirrors my expression but instead of standing he grabs my hand in a sweaty grip and we take off.

"Run!"

* * *

><p>Why am I shaking? I grimace as my arm hits something hard, pain shoots through my forearm to the tips of my fingers. I jerk it back but I keep shaking. Another moment passes. No, I'm been <em>shook.<em> Who's shaking me? Once I find out they better be sure I'm going to shake them right back.

"Reina!"

I crack open an eye to reveal a figure hovered over me.

"There you are! I thought you were going to sleep forever!"

I groan and close my eye, retreating to the comfort of darkness.

"No, no! Come on missy, there's work to be done. No time for sleeping, you hear?"

With another sigh, I slowly open up both my eyes and focus on this person that I want to murder. As my eyes adjust I see that her usually long scarlet hair is now pinned above her head and she's wearing her riding pants.

"Lynn…" I try my best to give her a wide smile, "Go away."

She shifts her weight and puts a hand on her hip. I inwardly flinch, awaiting the reprimanding that I was due to receive.

"Now that is no way to treat the woman who provides you with food, shelter, and hospitality, now is it? Up you get!" I groan as she begins to shoo me from my bed.

"Put these on," she throws me a pair of identical riding pants, only in a darker shade. "You'll be needing them today, we're working with the horses again."

Secretly, I'm thankful. Caring for the horses is my favorite of all the tasks on the ranch, for once I feel natural as opposed to the tedious labor of milking cows.

"And for Goddess sake's Rin, pull your hair back. It looks like a wild cucco made a nest in there," I stare as she closes the door with the driest look I can muster. That could have gone worse.

I turn to stare at my reflection in the old square mirror hanging next to the door— its yellowed and hazy with age but I can still make out my dark auburn hair. "It is not a cucco nest," I say defensively to myself as I hopelessly try to pin back the knots.

Distantly, I hear the faint laugh of children. I walk over to the window to see a couple kids running around through the field and I smile. Those two never seem to tire.

"_You got my dress all dirty! Look what you did!"_

My face falls, I quickly turn away from the window and shake my head. I stare down at my hands, calloused and cracked from ranch labor. What _was _that dream? It was as if I had been spying on someone's precious childhood memories.

"_Run!"_

I shiver. Maybe not too precious.

"Reina! We haven't got all day!"

I sigh, "Yes, _mother_!"

I quickly shove my legs into the pants Lynn gave me and grab my riding boots. With one last groan as I glance in the mirror, I head out of the room and down the wooden stairs.

The creaking announces my presence and Lynn glances up at me, one hand on the door. Her face falls into something that of disappointment. Typical.

"Oh dear, that won't do. Come here," she gestures to one of the chairs at the dining table. I sit down begrudgingly, staring at her with narrowed eyes as I do so.

"One day I need to teach you how to braid your own hair, or at least comb it." She grabs strands of my thick hair and pulls as she threads them together. My head is being jerked around so much that I wonder how I have any hair left.

"I know how to do my hair, Lynn. I just don't care enough."

"Exactly." Another tug. "Are you sure you're even a girl?"

I roll my eyes, "I may not remember where I come from…" I pause and shift my eyes around. "Or anything else about myself, but I'm pretty sure I know what _gender _I am." She makes this whining noise and I picture her shrug behind me. Sometimes I wish that I had been forced to find my own way instead of being taken in by Lynn.

Suddenly, the door bursts open in a chorus of high pitched voices and the sounds of tiny feet.

"She started it! Mama, tell Ellie to stop it!"

"He deserves it! I was playing nice until he hurt me!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

Lynn sighs and finishes up my hair before turning towards the now full-out brawling children who are rolling across the floor with handfuls of each other's hair. I can't help but be reminded of quarreling cuccos.

"ENOUGH!"

Both kids cease mid hair-pull and stare at their mother wide-eyed.

"Both of you will stop whatever it is that you are doing and get along or I will personally see to it that neither of you have any hair left to pull. Understood?"

The children remain frozen for another moment before the boy carefully releases his grip on the girl's hair and they begin to extricate themselves from each other.

"Are we understood?"

"Yes, Mama," a unison of somber acceptance.

"Good. Now go run along and ask Uncle Brody if he needs any help with the cows."

The children nod and begin to run for the door but the boy stays behind and catches my eye, abruptly becoming bashful. He keeps his blonde head bowed but shyly makes his way over to me. I can't help but smile.

"Mornin' Miss Rin," he says peering through his bangs.

"Morning to you too, Finn."

He fumbles around in his coat pocket, "I, uh— got you something pretty but Ellie ruined it." He pulls out the most pitiful looking crumpled flower that I've ever seen. "I'm sorry."

"_I'm sorry I ruined your dress."_

I wince and my breath hitches in my throat. Finn didn't seem to notice but I see someone else that may have in the corner of my eye. The shy boy continues to hide behind his hair as he holds out the wounded plant.

I attempt to cover up my slip by extending my palm, "It's okay. It still looks pretty to me, thank you."

I catch Lynn's concerned gaze across the room. She folds her arms across her torso and walks toward us, "Alright, Finnick. Miss Rin and I have some work to do." She puts a gentle hand on his head and ruffles his hair— it only seems to make him more flustered.

He quickly drops the flower in my hand and takes off outside after mumbling something that resembled a "you're welcome."

After the door closes Lynn turns to me, "Are you okay?"

"Of course I am," I try.

She didn't buy it. "Either my son's childish crush on you now stimulates a physically shocking response or something happened back there—" she pauses.

"Reina." I finally turn to catch her eyes. "Is it happening again?"

"What? No!" I shake my head vigorously. Maybe a little _too _much. More calmly I add, "No. It's not happening again. I'm just tired, that's all."

She continues to give me that skeptical look that she's managed to perfect but stops short to chuckle, "Yeah. Well I believe that, considering how hard it was to wake you up this morning. Not to mention your 'more than ordinary' snarkiness."

I give her a dry look. Out of all of the lies to believe.

"Mother? Really? Low blow. Especially considering you don't even know how old you are," she quips. "For all we know, you could be older than _me_."

I open my mouth to retort but she cuts me off. "Oh, hush. I'm only twenty-five. Anyways, horse caring to be done. Remember? Come on, missy." I settle with frowning instead.

I follow Lynn outside into the bright sunlight, I hold up a hand to shield my eyes. Distantly, I can make out a tall figure hunched over with Ellie and Finn and nearby cows. I follow Lynn in the opposite direction however, towards the horse stable.

The large barn doors creak with wide girth as she throws them open with little effort— proof of her experience here on the ranch. It takes another minute for my eyes adjust back to the comfortable dimness but when they do I see all seven horses lined up in their stales, neighing impatiently.

Lynn nicks at the nearest one— a dark chestnut brown with a large white spot on its forehead that extends down to its muzzle. The horse responds with an enthused whinny.

"Alright, you know the drill. Let's get to it," she announces.

I make my way to the opposite stalls where the last three stallions remain. I can't help when my eyes linger on the last empty stall. I know that Lynn tries to ignore it— pretend that it was empty all along but we all know she's more bothered than she'd like to think. I myself am troubled at the thought, she was my favorite horse too. Not to mention the thought of someone breaking into our quaint ranch—

I jolt at the feeling of a hand on my shoulder.

"We'll find her, and the jerk who took her," I turn to see Lynn's despondent face. "Besides, our Epona doesn't trust just anyone. Knowing that little spitfire, she bucked him off as soon as they left our territory and now she's on her way home."

I try to smile but it never manages to grace my lips.

The silence is interrupted by a particularly loud whine and Lynn answers with a holler. She leaves my side to open the remaining stalls while I do the same. Together, we round up the horses and lead them out into the morning sunshine.

One by one they file into the vast fields of the ranch and I watch in awe as some of them choose to gallop in freedom, their manes blowing in the cool autumn air. For some reason I find myself being able to relate to this feeling; the answer as to why escapes me. I've been having many of these empty feelings since I woke up to Lynn's concerned voice in the middle of a Calatian field over a year ago. With no memory of who I was or where I had come from, I latched onto her like a child without a mother and she was happy to reciprocate. Taking me into her home with no payment other than doing my part on the ranch— I am forever indebted to her. Lynn became a sister to me. Her family my family; she had given me everything.

I glance over at her, watching as she makes her way over to the nearest horse. I idolize the way she is able speak to them as if she knows their language. A born natural. Her beautiful crimson hair catches the sunlight and she moves with confidence I could only hope to mimic, so sure of who she is and what she wants. I envy that.

"I didn't know that grooming horses consisted of watching someone else do the dirty work."

I don't bother to tear my gaze away from the horses, "What is it with you two making me feel like an indolent freeloader today?"

The man beside me chuckles, "Must be that sibling telepathy."

I crack a glimpse at him and smirk. "Right. Considering you aren't even blood related."

He holds up his hands, "Hey now, I'll have you know that I'm very much indebted to Lynn and I was to her father as well. They raised me since I was foolish teenage boy, I'm basically blood here."

That makes two of us. Except that he came long before I did, but I understand when he says that they are family.

"Aren't you supposed to be babysitting cattle and children?"

"I think they're pretty occupied at the moment," I follow his gaze to see the two kids falling over one another as they fight to wash the cows.

"Everything is a competition with those two," I laugh.

He steps into my line of sight and I watch as he plays with the stubble on his chin. Suddenly, he seems almost tense. He finally turns back to me and I catch the rigidness in his voice, "Reina, I have to ask you something."

I wait, unsure of where this is heading. For the first time, I notice just how old he looks in the afternoon sun. He's only nineteen but the ranch labor has given him a maturity that other men do not possess at his age. Suddenly, he looks even older as he knits his eyebrows together in concern.

"Do you know what Lynn plans on doing about that letter?"

I give him a questioning look, I hadn't heard about a letter before.

He sighs. "She hasn't told you then."

"Told me what, Broderick?"

"Lynn got a letter from the International Affairs of Hyrule Castletown, they want to negotiate trade."

I don't know much about the neighboring countries to Calatia except that Lynn comes from Hyrule and is in fact Hylian— not Calatian like myself and Broderick. Her and her children's ears are proof of that. Why she left is something I don't know the details of, except that she wanted to get away. Whatever it was, it must have been for good reason to uproot her home.

I fold my arms across my chest. "Why would they want this ranch in particular? Hyrule is a capable country, are they not?"

"Yes, well, her leaving made things a little more difficult for them—"

"My leaving made what difficult for whom?"

Neither one of us had noticed Lynn's silent approach. Broderick purses his lips in a thin line. I glance between the two. Lynn looks slightly perturbed.

"Sharing my business now are you, Brody?"

Uh, oh. I feel as though I'm caught in the middle of a conversation that I should not be in.

"I thought maybe you had told Reina on what you planned to do."

"And I hadn't, so now you have involved another person that does not need to worry about such matters," she finishes angrily.

I can't help but feel slightly insulted as Lynn's closest friend, that I was labeled as just 'another person'. Or maybe I had taken things too seriously, I was never that good a friend in the first place. Just another stray who needed a home.

"I'm worried about you, Lynn! I know what Hyrule means to you."

She visibly bristles at the name and I watch as she tears her angry glare away from Broderick. I assume she is looking at the horses galloping past. The wind blows strands of her red locks across her face but she doesn't move to fix them.

"I'm leaving this evening."

Broderick's face drops and his eyes go wide with bewilderment, "Lynn. Are you serious? You can't go there, let alone by yourself!"

"I can very well do as I please! I am the owner of this ranch and it is me who they wish to speak with!" she rounds on him.

She takes a moment and then quietly adds, "I won't be that long. Just five days. Hyrule is not too far from us." Another pause. "We need the money, Brody."

His body slacks a little more at her statement. He knows that it's true.

"Then let me come with you."

She shakes her head. "No, I need you to watch the children for me. I wouldn't put that burden on Reina alone, they don't know her like they do you."

He slumps again. Defeated. I can't help but admire his loyalty to her. The air grows still and nothing could be heard but the neighs of the horses and the laughter of children in the distance.

"I'll go with you, Lynn." My voice breaks the tension. I nearly jump at the sound of it.

She gives me this odd look. "Reina, I can't ask that of you. It could be dangerous."

I steal another look from Broderick and then meet her eyes again, "That's why you're not asking. I'm demanding. It's better than going alone."

We stare at each other for a good while before she finally sighs in acceptance. Broderick looks slightly more relieved but still uncomfortable.

"We leave for Hyrule at sundown."


	2. Chapter II

**Chapter II**

The trek to Hyrule had proved to be more difficult than had planned. It was as if the Goddesses themselves wanted to obstruct our path. Between the natural elements of harsh weather and our sour luck, I'd say it was a bad omen.

I struggle with the clasp on my cloak while the heavy torrents of rain repel my efforts. My horse neighs in annoyance and I can barely find her reigns through the turbulence to calm her down.

"Lynn! I think we should stop!"

I strain to hear a response but the intense patter of rain and wind in my ears makes it impossible.

"Lynn!"

Finally I see her distant dark cloaked figure turn around. "Oh yes, because there are so many places to take a short little nap and start a camp fire!" she yells back.

"I don't appreciate the sarcasm!"

She rolls her eyes and turns around in her saddle. At least I think it was an eye roll. Hard to tell.

With a groan I resume trying to fumble with my clasp. This is going to be a long journey.

We have been traveling for approximately one day and one night. Scratch that. Dawn will be upon us in a matter of hours and that will make a complete two night voyage thus far. No wonder why I feel as if I'm going to fall right out of my drenched saddle.

Through the haze, I see fields sprawling ahead and all around us. I feel something tug inside me and I can't help but wonder if I had previously rode through these pastures before, experienced this kind of storm, or smelled the air when it reeks heavily of a cold winter approaching. I normally don't let my mind wander to these kind of thoughts but the more distance I put between myself and the ranch, the more alive I have ever felt. I don't know how to explain it. I do know, however, that for the first time since Lynn found me alone in that field, dazed and confused, I feel as if I am heading in the right direction. I realize that "right" is a loaded word but I don't know what else to call this feeling of certainty. Familiarity? Destiny? I shake my head. Honestly, what kind of destiny could a Calatian peasant woman have?

It's the stream-line of dark smoke that catches my eye first and then distantly, a small building begins to appear in the blue mist of rain. It seems to be situated on the outskirts of a dense forest to the right of the clearing. My heart leaps at the thought of a warm bed and then is instantly stifled when I'm reminded of the evidence of a crackling fire inside— and the inhabitant that created it.

I call out Lynn's name and this time she seems to hear me because she raises a hand in acknowledgement. As we approach the cabin, I am able to make out just how small it is— perhaps no more than a two room building. Propped against the side wall is a wheel barrow filled with several weapons: pick-axes, swords, knifes, you name it. I pull my eyebrows together; an odd thing to be hauling around. Something tells me that this isn't a place to be asking for a warm blanket and a tea cozy, but my frozen body says otherwise.

Ahead, Lynn dismounts her steed with a wet splash.

"I know what you're thinking, but we're running low on options," she explains as she ties her horse to a nearby tree. I dismount and follow suit.

Sure. The house does look a little eerie, and those weapons could be used to murder us in our sleep, but what's the harm in asking. Right?

"At least it's a shot at getting out of this rain," she further tries to pacify me. Or maybe herself.

Together we hesitantly approach the tiny cabin. After a couple short raps on the rickety front door, we wait in silence except for the patter of rain around us. A few more seconds tick by and I begin to notice that my hands are doing that thing where they sweat when I'm nervous. Gross. I try to wipe them off on my pants but they just become even sweatier. Wonderful.

Just as I'm about to give into my cowardly instinct and suggest leaving, I hear a creak on the other side of the door. It remains closed, however. I shoot a glance at Lynn who mirrors my confused expression.

Out of the corner of my eye I see a figure in the dark window, illuminated only by the crackling of a fire. The figure moves out of sight and a drape falls back into place. My breathing hitches. There's another creak and some scuffling, then it stops on the other side of the door.

"Who are you?" I hear a muffled voice from inside ask; an authoritative, menacing tone.

Looking at me, Lynn answers, "Just a couple of travelers who got caught in the rain. Would it be a burden if we asked to seek shelter here for a few hours until dawn?"

We wait in silence, the echo of Lynn's question reverberates in my head. My hands are sweating even more profusely.

Suddenly, the door is opened with a loud scrape and is slowly pulled back to reveal a tall figure in its place.

My eyes widen slightly with shock as I realize that it is in fact a woman standing in front of us, and not the large and blood-thirsty man I had pictured. She's older but certainly not frail. Her silver hair is pulled back into a braid at the nape of her neck, revealing her pointed ears. She's Hylian, like Lynn. Her ears are not the most shocking feature about her appearance, however. My eyes are drawn to the large scar that runs down her face and crosses her left eye which hauntingly is void of color and pupil. Another smaller scar rips down across her lips, leaving the left corner of her mouth in a permanent frown.

"You may stay— until dawn," the woman orders. I can't help but take notice of the way only half of her mouth is able to move.

I can tell that Lynn is taken aback as well because she hesitates before nodding, "Thank you, Miss…?"

"You do not need to know my name," the cloaked woman extends the door, allowing us passage inside. Something is off, people who look like her don't allow people like us to share their living quarters.

However, as soon as I'm fully inside the small dwelling I'm enveloped with a warmth I haven't felt since we left the ranch and for a second I forget about the alarms sounding in my head. I breathe into my hands and rub them together, a futile attempt to warm them.

Jumping at the sound of the door slamming shut behind us, I watch as the woman makes her way over towards the hearth. She violently pokes at the fire, causing it to crackle and a few embers are released into the air. The house seems to be even smaller than what it looked from the exterior. The room we currently occupy contains only the small fire pit with a crackling fire and a wooden table equipped with a single chair. Off to our right is another door, presumably leading to another room.

"You don't look like you're from around here," she mutters, staring into the fire.

I glance over at Lynn who stares ahead at the woman with wary eyes that illuminate with an orange glow from the fire.

"Yes, well, we're traveling—"

"Not you, I was talking to your friend," the woman cuts her off and abruptly sets her gaze on me instead. I feel my palms sweating again.

I stare back at the woman's white eye and swallow. A strange impulse suddenly makes me want to hide my ears. "I— I'm Calatian."

The woman hums and turns away, "I see." She gives the fire another poke. "You're a little far from home, don't you think? All the way out here, so close to Hyrule."

I steal a look at Lynn who catches my eye. She silently shakes her head.

"Yes, we were just passing through on our way East," I say then tack on for good measure, "Just some trade business."

More silence passes and I shift my weight. Maybe we would have been better off in the rain.

"You better watch yourselves, you're entering dangerous territory," The woman straightens her back and folds her hands behind her, walking towards the window. The ankle-length cloak she wears, perhaps to cover anymore grotesque scars, catches on the floor. I can't identify the strange symbols that don the back of it. "Things are not always what they seem."

I lower my gaze, trying to make sense of what she wants from us. Uneasiness doesn't even begin to cover the feeling I'm experiencing.

"Thank you for—"

I hear a pop from the fire and I shift my eyes, only to see an empty space where the woman had once stood. I let my sentence die on my lips as a gentle thud could be heard next to us. The door to the back room latches closed.

"She's quick," I let out a breath that I had been unconsciously holding while in her presence. The tension that had been suffocating moments prior seemed to vanish as swiftly as she.

"Yes, well, let's not over stay our welcome. We'll stay for a few hours, get some sleep, and then be on our way." She gently shrugs out of her sopping wet cloak and spreads it neatly on the floor to dry before sitting down with her back against the wall. I do the same and let my head fall back, focusing on the warmth of the fire in front of us. No matter how hard I try to keep them from doing so, my thoughts wander to the cryptic words of the woman. The way she spoke, as if she were so familiar with the dangers outside these walls. Her scars come to mind and I grimace.

"Are you hungry?"

I peek an eye open at the word hungry because I associate it with the word food.

"Good thing I brought this waterproof satchel. We still have some baguettes left over from the last time we ate."

My heart swells with hope, and I swallow in anticipation.

I watch as she unties the bag only for her face to drop as soon as she pulls out a soggy mess. "Or at least somewhat waterproof. They're a little soaked."

My heart breaks.

"We're just on the outskirts of Hyrule, we should be in Castletown Market by evening tomorrow," Lynn says quietly. "We can probably find some berries along the way, it'll hold us over."

Hold her over maybe. I, on the other hand, will probably drop dead before then.

We sit in silence for a few moments. The woman's words about Hyrule being dangerous echo through my head and I wonder why I had never heard Lynn speak of it in such a way before. I try to picture it, what it will look like, but all I can see is Calatia— an endless expanse of fields.

"When was the last time you were in Hyrule?" I ask, interrupting the silence.

Lynn takes a minute to respond, like she's trying to think of the right words to say. "Five years ago this winter."

I sniff and wrap my arms around myself. I don't want to pry, but… well, okay I do want to pry. I just don't want to be rude, so I choose my words carefully. "Do you… miss it? In comparison to Calatia, I mean."

"Yes and no," she sighs. "I had my reasons for leaving."

I nod. It's hard for me to understand, I feel as if I've been living in a sheltered bubble on the ranch for the past year— not being able to remember a thing of my past or the world around me. I know that I'm Calatian based on my dark hair, brown eyes, and my rounded ears. Maybe I had never set foot outside of the Calatian borders.

Or maybe I had. That's how I wound up in the field where Lynn found me.

"Hyrule is beautiful, however." I turn to look at her at the sound of her voice. I didn't expect her to remain on the subject. "There are rivers and a huge mountain, a desert and a lake, and the castle…" She gets this distant look in her eyes, I see sadness there.

"It's not like that anymore."

She stops talking and I'm almost certain she won't continue. She takes a hard, deep breath.

"That woman is right. It's a terrible place. Not even Brody knows how bad it got, if he did he wouldn't have let me leave Calatia. Trust me, he could have stopped me if he wanted. For a kid, he's strong." She gives me a smile, but there's nothing behind it. No emotion.

"I left shortly after the King died. No heir, no wife. The country was in a state of confusion and panic. Everyone knew that it was coming, his health had been waning for quite a while, but when the time came everyone was as shocked as if it were murder," she explains.

"People said it's because he had no will to live anymore, he was older in age and long outlived his late queen. When she was alive, they were unable to produce any children. They were doomed from the beginning."

She pauses again and we both stare the snapping fire.

"The Nohansen royal bloodline died with the King's last breath and Hyrule was never the same," she says with such finality that I feel something inside me stir, as if I had lived through the tragedy myself. I watch as the shadows dance across her face.

"It was then found in the King's will that Hyrule was to be handed over to a man who had just made himself known only months prior to the King's death. A man that had been newly appointed and claimed to be a lost nephew of the King. Of course, that must be ringing bells in your head— something just wasn't right. That's how most people felt at the time, including myself," she sighs.

"But there it was, the proof of his entitlement in the King's signature. Naturally it wasn't ideal for the kingdom to be passed down to someone that wasn't an heir to the throne but what can be done in that situation? Here was a man who was able to tell the people the next best thing to what they wanted to hear: he was of Nohansen blood. People clung to this notion like a child would to a blanket."

I shift my weight, becoming uncomfortable. Physically or mentally, I'm unsure.

"The new king of Hyrule is named Damir Nohansen and he is responsible for plunging the kingdom into absolute darkness."

I suddenly feel as if there is a bad taste in my mouth. I wanted to know the truth, but now I'm beginning to question if I would have been better off not knowing. For the first time, I begin to feel apprehensive about arriving in Hyrule.

I close my eyes, trying to hold on to the sound of the crackling fire and the distant hum of the crickets as if it's the last time I would hear them.

* * *

><p>Everything is a blur. I don't know which way is what or where I'm going, I just know that I need to get away. I hope to the Goddesses that Lynn and her horse are somewhere behind me. We're going fast— <em>too <em>fast. I suddenly pull on my horse's reigns and we come to a dead halt only for the figure in front of us to disappear completely.

That's it. I'm losing my marbles.

"Reina! Duck!"

Duck…? I don't see a—

An arrow goes wizzing past my left ear, the wind blows a strand of hair across my face.

Oh. That kind of duck.

I follow the path of the arrow and realize that she intended to hit the figure that had reappeared to my left. It vanishes before the arrow could even come close. Not to mention her aim was off— way off. I shiver.

"Since when did you own a bow and arrow!? Let alone bring it with us!?"

Lynn just winks at me in that creepy nonchalant way of hers and quickly notches back another arrow ready to fire. I look around wildly, attempting to predict where the ghostly apparition will appear next.

We left the old woman's cabin early this morning before dawn had even graced the horizon. We only managed to get in a few hours of sleep but it was worth not having to stay there any longer than we had to. We snuck out the front door silently and didn't see her cloaked figure again. I told Lynn that next time we're staying at an Inn. She just snorted. Now after half a day's worth of traveling, we're here. In the middle of a creepy field. Filled with creepy invisible things. Doing creepy things. Creepy things like this actually exist? And I thought that the sight of Lynn early in the morning was scary.

Suddenly, I hear a faint, distorted laughter and shriek as I feel something ice cold go through me.

"Reina!"

A moment later, I'm fine. I blink a couple of times, attempting to remember what just happened. The first thing I notice is Lynn's wild expression. It almost makes me want to laugh, she looks ridiculous for no reason.

That's when I feel it.

Suddenly, I'm thrown off my horse with such an incredible force that I see two of everything. I'm gasping in pain as I roll over to my side.

I can barely discern the sounds of arrows being shot through the air above me and for some reason it makes me cringe knowing that Lynn is absolute rubbish with them.

"Reina! Are you hurt?"

Lynn dismounts her horse and crouches down next to me. Either she had successfully hit the thing or it momentarily disappeared. My bets are on the latter.

"Yeah," I grit my teeth as I attempt to straighten my back. My gaze focuses and I see the apparition manifest a few feet behind Lynn. Instinctively, I yank the bow and arrows from her grasp.

I hardly notice a short "hey!" before I notch the arrow and fire. It hits its mark and the creature lets out a satisfying squeal before it disappears completely.

"How did you…" Lynn sits dumbfound looking between me and the spot where the apparition vanished.

I honestly don't know what to tell her, I stare at the bow and arrows as if they'll give me the answers. It was instinct— that's all I knew. Like riding a horse, you just _know. _But I had never used a bow in my life… or had I?

"Well, at least I don't have to worry about you now. Looks like you just discovered a natural talent," she says standing up.

Yeah, natural. Sure. I take her hand, pushing myself to my feet.

Hyrule field has more elevations and valleys than Calatia, I still can't wrap my mind around how beautiful it would be if it wasn't for this ominous overcast that has covered the sky since we set foot here. It doesn't look like it'll be letting up anytime soon. It's also silent— eerily silent. No birds. No bugs. Nothing. It's as if everything the very essence of life had been sucked out of this place. My gaze falters and I rub my eyes, thinking that there's something in them. Suddenly, the grass and the sky begin to shift, melding together…

_There's ruins all around me, smoke, fire, ashes. I'm coughing, I can barely see through the flames._

_Suddenly, a sword comes flying through the air and is embedded into the crumbling soil next to me. I let out a small shriek of shock, not because it almost stabbed my foot, but because I know what this means for him._

_I search for them through the licking inferno but all I can make out is a flash of green and a large figure towering above it. My heart leaps into my throat. There's no way I can get the sword through the magical barrier, it will just be repelled like everything else that attempts to enter. I look down at my singed arm— a painful reminder. _

_He's defenseless._

_And I'm going to stand here and watch him die._

_No._

_I glance around frantically, trying to locate the weapons he had dropped outside of the flames before he was trapped within them. They have to be here somewhere. Out of the corner of my eye, I catch something glimmer and quickly begin to make my way towards it. I attempt to sidle along the edge of the mountain and the wall of flames in front of me but it's too narrow. My heel slips and I let out a scream as my stomach is suddenly in my throat and the only thing that is keeping me from falling into a fiery, lava-filled demise is one frail hand that clings to a crumbling cliff._

_This cannot be happening. I can't die here._

_I think I hear him scream my name but it's hard to tell over the beating of my own heart that also has seemed to make its way into my upper internal organs. _

_Arm muscles. I have to use them. And I have to use them now. My hold begins to slip as I feel small pebbles give away under the pressure. I cry out._

_Taking a deep breath, I use momentum to swing my left arm up and grasp the crumbling soil. More rocks slide out from underneath my hold and I watch as they fall into the lava below, incinerating with a sizzle. _

_That will be me if I can't do this._

_I hear him scream for me again. He thinks I'm already dead. I have to show him that I'm not, I have to survive._

_I grit my teeth and use all the strength I can muster, some of which I didn't even know I possessed, and begin to pull myself up. One leg swings over. My dress rips. I claw my fingers into the blackened dirt and pull myself the rest of the way, only to watch the section of rubble that had spared my life moments before fall into the depths of Hell below. _

_I hear a strangled cry of pain that jerks me out of my state of shock and my head snaps up, desperately trying to locate him. The beast has him down on the ground, twin swords arched to strike._

"_No!" I scream. Frantically I look around for the object that caused this turmoil in the first place. _

_There._

_It glints brightly against the scorched ground that it rests upon. _

_I sprint to the platform as fast as my weary legs will carry me and close my fingers around the light arrows granted by the Goddesses. In the other I grasp the Fairy Bow._

_In one swift motion, I notch back a golden arrow and aim for the beast's heart just as he swings his ending blow._

_And I fire._

"Reina?"

I'm looking at Lynn and she's looking at me like I just found a mythical Keaton hiding in the bushes.

She just stares at me. She knows.

I shake my head and attempt to rid myself of the accompanying headache that always tags along for the visions. That one was dark. Too dark.

And too real.

What _was _that? And why was _I _specially chosen as an exclusive viewer?

"I shouldn't have let you come along," she mumbles under her breath, looking down. I try to gather my thoughts again and I use my hand to quell my throbbing forehead.

"Yeah, and you would have been minced cucco without me around and you know it."

She sighs, looking off into the distance and then turns away with an air of defeat. I quickly remount my horse and frown as I wait on her to do the same, I'm not a helpless innocent and as someone who could possibly be even younger than me, I wish that she would see that. Once we start at a slow trot I turn to her, making an attempt to get her mind off of what had just transpired, "What _was _that thing exactly?"

"A poe. They litter Hyrule field now, however, they're the least of our worries when it comes to the monsters that hide in the darkness."

I shiver at the thought, that poe gave me a run for my rupees, that's for sure. I don't want to think about what other secrets this place houses.

Distantly, I can make out the drawbridge of a large town at the base of a tall castle. I would say that it was an extraordinary sight to behold if this place didn't send shivers down my spine. Something about it just isn't right, and it isn't just because of the promise of monsters hiding in its shadows. My instincts tell me to turn my horse around and flee as far as I'm able, but we had come this far.

No turning back now.

I glance over at Lynn and she has this look on her face that makes my heart break. She looks so sad. So _remorseful. _I can't even imagine what memories are going through her mind.

"I'm sorry that you have to see Hyrule like this," I distantly hear her whisper. Whether she's talking to me or herself, I'm not so sure.

I'm beginning to think that I'm getting caught up in something much larger than what I'm ready for.

I see the terrifying beast from my vision flash behind my eyes again.

Yes. Something much larger.


	3. Chapter III

**Chapter III**

I had never really given much thought as to how I would die.

That was one thing that never occurred to me during my quaint life on the ranch. I worried about things like feeding the livestock on time, breaking in the horses for riding, scrubbing the floors, helping Lynn prepare breakfast for Ellie and Finn… not this.

I make a futile attempt to swallow the lump in my throat that makes me feel like I was going to gag, but all it seems to do is make it bigger. Ahead of me, the figure cloaked in shadows remains standing with his eyes closed. Nobody moves, they all know the power that he possess- the strength. His arms remain crossed over his chest and his black cape billows in the wind. Despite the entire plaza being filled with people, not a sound could be heard. The squawking of birds high above seem to ring in my ears with deafening volume.

What I would give to turn back time, to tell Lynn that it would be best to stay at the ranch in Calatia. Good old Calatia. I never thought I'd miss it. I should have listened to Broderick instead of being an advocate. Goddesses, what was I thinking?

I can feel Lynn trembling ever so slightly next to me, her hand remains clutched to my forearm with such intensity I'm almost certain that she has drawn blood. But it doesn't faze me. I can't even feel myself breathe.

A haunting bell begins to ring in the distance, it's a large, hollow chime. For a second, I shift my eyes to a large dilapidated and cathedral-like structure beyond the town and next to the castle. It doesn't look like a place of worship- not anymore at least. Suddenly, I hear a sharp intake of breath and I turn to look at Lynn whose face portrays nothing short of horror. Her nails dig deeper into my skin and I follow her gaze. I feel something inside me deflate, like I had known all along this would happen and I was holding on to false hope.

Because the dark figure's piercing blue eyes aren't closed anymore.

They're staring straight at me.

How did I get here? How did this happen? Why me? A simple Calatian ranch girl who wanted nothing more than to regain her lost memories. And now I'm going to die before I can even remember my real name.

* * *

><p>The trek had been a long one. I had never been so relieved to see a man-made structure before- an indication of warmth and food. Food. My stomach grumbles. I hadn't eaten a real meal in days. Lynn's poor excuse for a breakfast (a handful of wild berries and a deku nut) just wasn't cutting it. I told her that I'm not a keese and I shouldn't have to eat like one either. She called me a princess and moved on. That's fine and dandy, but it'll be on her to carry my starved corpse back to Calatia.<p>

When we arrive at the Castletown Bridge, a group of soldiers plated in silver armor with spears block our path. There's about ten of them and I can't help but wonder why they need such tight security. They brandish swords on their backs and shields engraved with an insignia that doesn't look familiar to me- it resembles a bird with three triangles above the wings.

"State your reasoning for passing through to Castletown Market."

I glance at Lynn, hoping that she knows how to talk with officials because I sure don't.

"I am a ranch owner from Calatia and am here at the request of the International Affairs of Hyrule Castletown about an inquiry of trade."

Sure enough, she does. Really well actually. I lift an eyebrow, where did a small-town ranch girl with the foulest mouth I had ever heard learn to talk like that?

The guards remain still and I begin to think they won't let us through until one with the same insignia that is displayed on the shields, but on his breast plate, steps forward.

"You may pass." The guards step aside to their respectable positions and Lynn leads the way. I follow closely behind until the guards suddenly step back between us. This can't be good.

"The ranch owner may pass but you have not identified yourself," the man with the crest says.

"I- uh…I am-"

I, unlike a certain sneaky ranch owner, am unable to produce any eloquent words on the spot.

"She's my escort," Lynn speaks up. "Hyrule field, as you all should know, is very treacherous and she is a skilled archer who kept the monsters at bay."

For a moment, all I can wonder is how I had not known that Lynn was this clever. Then I realize that I still wear the bow and arrows on my back and I have to stop myself from smiling. Genius.

The guard waits patiently as if contemplating whether her excuse was solid enough or not, then ultimately gives a curt nod and steps aside. I let an exhale of air out of my mouth but keep my head high as I follow Lynn into the bustling Castletown Market.

…or not so bustling.

I glance around, unable to decide what to focus on next. Everything that I see, from the dilapidated buildings to the cowering citizens huddled in alleyways, the grime covered stone to the eerily dark pathways even though the sun had just begun to set- they all lead to one central thought in my mind: How did things get this bad? I had never seen anything so tragic and harrowing in my life. Granted, I can't remember most of my life. The year that I do remember I had never really left the ranch except to pick up supplies at the Calatian Marketplace. However, I do know that this is not what a successful town is supposed to look like. This looks like a prison camp.

Lynn has a hand covering her mouth in awe but otherwise she seems to be taking it okay. Hopefully.

I wouldn't want to see my former home in this state either. I could only imagine.

We pass through a throng of citizens huddling in the center of the pathway. They wear rags and are covered in filth. My heart accelerates. I can't decide whether to pity or fear them. Maybe a little of both. They stare up at us as we ride through, towering above them.

"Please… just a few rupees… anything. Please…"

"I can't feed my children!"

"The evil, the evil, it's coming, it's coming…"

My attention is caught by the hunched man sectioned away from the group of beggars. He wrings his hands over and over as if to clean them. His rags hang in tattered scraps- hardly anything covers his emaciated body.

"The evil, evil, evil, evil…"

I can't stop staring at him. His voice is raspy and weathered as if he's been screaming for entirely too long. It chills me to the bone.

"Evil. Evil. It's here. It's here. It's HERE!" Suddenly, the man snaps his head up, looks me straight in my eyes and begins shrieking. I stare unable to look away, my eyes go wide. The thought of food and shelter suddenly becomes a thought lost with the echoing of his unsettling screams.

"Reina!"

Lynn had turned her horse around and came back for me. I didn't even notice that I had stopped.

"We can't be stalling in a place like this, come on." I finally tear my gaze away and nod. I don't like it here nor do I want to stay any longer than we have to.

We eventually come upon a post where we are able to dismount and tie up our horses, it's next to a section of town that has a pile of broken boxes and a dirty tent that has long since fall down on top. It takes me a moment to leave the safety of my perch high above the disturbing activities on the ground. A tremor goes down my spine.

"I'm so sorry, Reina. I had no idea. No idea…" Lynn's voice trails off and it's then that I notice she's holding back sobs. They're causing her body to shake and I wrap an arm around her after hesitantly dismounting, attempting to give her a hug.

"It's okay, Lynn. Let's get this over with so we can get out of here."

She nods reluctantly and hand in hand we walk into the middle of Hyrule Castletown.

A structure lies in the center, something that looked like it could have been a fountain but now is void of any water and instead caked with grime and other unmentionables. Barren buildings, some aren't even standing any longer. A broken sign that lies on the ground next to one of them is barely legible, I can't make out the words from this perspective.

"…_Archery Shop record holder, remember?"_

No. Not now. What is this? Have I been here before? I shake my head and will my eyes to close, but I can't. I can't block this out. More citizens are huddled in groups among various structures and corners. Children crying. Mother's that are too ill to care for them. Angry men that throw things against walls. I flinch. I want it to stop. I want to stop seeing this.

"Lynn, do you know where this 'International Affairs' building is?" I force out. Anything to get my mind off of this nightmare.

For a moment I don't think that she heard me, it isn't until I glance over at her that I see what has captivated her attention. Ahead of us is presumably Hyrule Castle, but in our way are two dark, hooded figures. The aura that they emanate is so thick with malice that I'm frozen to the spot where I stand. Distantly, I hear the screams of people around us. Shouts that sound like:

"They're here!"

"Don't take me, please!"

"I don't want to die!"

Fear grips me like shackles. How do I walk again? I can't remember so I stop. So does Lynn.

The two figures step forward simultaneously and almost seem to be scanning the crowd in search of something. Or someone.

After a moment of observing, I watch as the hooded figure on the left branches off and makes his way to the side of the market- his eyes locked on a target. Nearby, I hear a woman screaming and am instantly able to point her out amongst the crowd. She wears a filthy cream colored dress that more so resembles the color brown now and is ripped down the side. Her blonde hair is pinned above her head, full of loose strands that frame her dirty face. Those that had been standing near her flee as far away as possible as if she has a terminally contagious illness. Cowering in the clearing, open and vulnerable, the figure hunts down its prey and runs at such a speed that my eyes cannot keep up. Lynn grabs my wrist in a vice grip and the figure is upon the woman in a flash. Her screams are cut short as he deftly knocks her unconscious with the hilt of a dagger, she didn't even have a chance to try to escape. Blood trickles down the side of her head and he sweeps her onto his shoulders, disappearing down an alleyway. It was over so quickly that I begin to wonder if it even happened at all. Maybe I'm hallucinating all of this. Or maybe I can delude myself into thinking so.

More screams. More frantic whispers. There will be another person facing the same fate.

What is this? It's like watching pigs being picked for slaughter. I'm going to be sick.

The second figure still has yet to move and I watch with fear as he closes his eyes and folds his arms over his chest in a confident manner. Maybe he won't assault someone like his hooded friend had, maybe he'll let us all be.

Yeah, Reina, that's what he's doing. Intimidating us and then going back home.

I try to swallow. It doesn't work. Lynn's grip tightens. I don't want to die. I'm not ready, not yet.

Not yet.

There are birds. There are bells. A cathedral. Hyrule Castle. Archery shop. Lynn. Why did she gasp?

His eyes. They're blue. I hadn't noticed before.

I'm frozen. I can't scream. I can't move. It's happening too fast. The birds are gone. The bells stopped tolling. It's quiet.

I'm numb.

"NO!"

I'm snapped out of my stupor. Lynn is in front of me with her arms outstretched. Her beautiful crimson hair snaps back and around her face with the strong winds that suddenly are blowing through the dark marketplace. The man is so close that I can see the embroidering on his cape and the belt that he wears strapped with sets of knives and daggers. His face is impassive. No emotion. No feeling. Stoic.

And that's when I realize what's happening here.

Lynn is sacrificing herself.

"Don't take her! Take me instead!"

The man takes a few more long strides before he slowly comes to a halt in front of us, his eyes shifting to her instead of me. He almost seems to be evaluating her, observing her. He unfolds his arms.

"Move."

His voice is low and just as void of emotion as his expression.

Lynn shakes her head and I cannot believe her defiance, she wants to be killed. She's insane.

"No, you will have to go through me."

The man stares at her with his empty blue eyes. He seems almost bored. Something inside me seems to snap at that thought. He's bored while all of us fear for our lives.

I suddenly find my voice again, "Lynn! Stop being an idiot!" I grab onto her arm and yank her back, she stumbles and rips her arm out of my grip.

"You're the idiot! I'm saving your life! Now run!" She rounds on me and shoves me. Hard. I stagger back a few paces, attempting to regain my balance.

The man clothed in black moves forward and slides a dark gloved hand in the inside of his cloak, producing a hidden dagger. It's short and gnarled looking. Obviously heavily used. My eyes go wide.

"Lynn!"

In one calm and swift motion the man swings out his left leg and catches her in the shin causing her to buckle and fall to her knee with a yelp. In his free hand, he grabs her long hair and wrenches her head back so that he can rest the blade of his dagger on her exposed porcelain neck. She gasps in pain and attempts to grapple with his arm but he pulls her head back even further to the point where she screams.

I'm frozen again and I watch the scene play out in front of me in under ten seconds.

"You're becoming a bother. Now get out of my way or I will _make _you."

Lynn cries out again as he gives her head another yank and then lifts his blade and tosses her to the ground where she lays motionless.

"Lynn!" I shriek.

The man advances and I find myself backing up slowly as he quickens his pace. My legs are numb. I can't feel them. I can't feel them move. I shake my head slowly, as if to tell him not to come any closer and then suddenly I'm on the ground. There's no way I'm able to get away.

"You don't want her! She's not even Hylian, she's a Calatian! Check her ears!"

My eyes land on Lynn a few feet away who is now attempting to stand.

The man stops, seemingly contemplating the truth to Lynn's words. He then bends over and grabs my hair with such force that I'm positive he had ripped it from my scalp. I hear him grunt, then allows it to fall back into place and then turns on his heel- back towards a helpless Lynn. Exactly what she wanted. That idiot.

I watch pathetically as he slowly approaches her. She extends a hand in a subconscious attempt to protect herself.

"LYNN! NO! GET AWAY!"

I try to scramble to my knees but I'm not fast enough.

Slowly, he sheathes the dagger inside of his cloak and extends both arms in front of him and on either side of Lynn's neck. She doesn't have time to react, captivated with fear, she to tries to keep him at bay with her frail arm while the other holds her bruised throat. In one swift movement, he turns both palms down and clenches his fingers together then jams the sides of his hands on either side of her neck. At first, it had seemed like nothing happened then I watch in horror as her eyes roll back and her body goes slack, slumping to the ground. The man catches her with an outstretched arm and picks her up with other. He forced her body to give out by using her pressure points.

Turning his back towards me he begins to walk away with Lynn's unconscious form in his arms.

Lynn. The woman who took me in. Who gave me everything. She takes care of me, takes care of Broderick. She's a mother. My best friend. And she's going to be kidnapped.

I reach over my shoulder and wrap my fingers around a slim arrow shaft while my other hand grabs the bow strapped beneath the sheath. I notch the thin rod in place on the string and aim, the man's back in my line of sight. Then I release.

He stumbles forward and down onto his knee where he lets Lynn fall to the ground. I hear a few gasps behind me and for the first time since this man caught my eyes and decided to make me his next victim, I remember that there is an entire marketplace full of people. People that stood by and cowered in fear as my friend and I were attacked.

He remains on the ground for quite some time and I'm almost certain that I've killed him. I lower my bow and shakily stand upright.

That's when I see that the arrow I had fired was no longer sticking out of his left shoulder but was in his left fist instead. He breaks it in half and I scream in surprised as a dagger is suddenly sticking out of the ground a fraction away from the tip of my boot. That was almost my toe. He had thrown it with such speed that I hadn't even noticed when he pulled it out of its sheath.

"Do not move or I next time I won't miss your heart. Do you understand?"

He begins to stalk toward me, his face no longer impassive nor bored. No. Now it's anger.

I faintly notice that my hand has begun to tremble and I reach behind me, desperately groping for another arrow but I'm too slow. I'm not skilled enough. It's like I've suddenly forgotten my new found knowledge of archery. Fear grips me like iron chains around my wrists. They feel heavy.

His slitted blue eyes bore into mine and when he's so close that I can feel his breath on my face, he stops. I'm trembling harder. He can feel my fear and I curse myself for being so weak. Slowly, he moves a gloved hand to my face and uses his knuckles to brush back a strand of loose hair. Something inside me snaps, the fear quickly becoming replaced with a burning need for retribution. Hot, boiling, anger. He's toying with me.

"Your life was spared. Be grateful," he hisses and then grabs for my neck.

Instinctively, I reach a hand up and grab his wrist with such lightning speed that his eyes widen and even I'm not sure how I managed to do such a thing. My reflexes had never been noteworthy. Have they?

I use his surprise to my advantage and bring my right hand down on the inside of his elbow, causing him to immediately pull back. I look down at the glove that is now gripped in my hand and back up to its owner who looks even more livid than he did before. Uh oh. I think my lucky streak had run out. I throw the dark glove on the ground with a yelp and turn to flee but he's already on me. With a kick to the inside of my knee, I crumble to the ground.

"Why are you doing this to us!?" I cry out as I watch his dark figure loom over me.

He continues to stare, however, ignoring my question but instead bends down to my eye level. I see it before it happens, the way he's about to throw a right hook at my face that will undoubtedly knock me out cold. I see it and I don't know how. I don't know why it seems to be that I have this knowledge about self-defense, but I do. Reflexively, I reach out to stop his now bare hand with my own and then everything goes white.

I'm screaming. So much pain. So much white, blinding pain. I can't breathe. Am I dying? Is this what dying feels like?

Something zooms past, cutting through the white. It was a blur. I can't focus on it- too much pain.

Another blur. And other. There are people talking. I can hardly hear them over my screams. It comes to me in bits and pieces, faster, faster. With each blur the pain worsens and I yell louder.

"_I'm going to beat you, by the Goddesses of Hyrule, you better be sure I will!"_

A boy is smiling. It's warm. We're inside of a building, there's music playing. A simple violin.

"_Eh, you still have a while to go before you can even think about beating me. Archery shop record holder, remember?"_

Make it stop. Oh, Farore make it stop! I begin to question who Farore is and how I know the name but the pain takes over and I forget it as quickly as everything else.

That boy suddenly appears again and gives me a lopsided smirk. It feels familiar, like I have seen him give me that look before.

Then there's more white and more burning and it vanishes, only to quickly be replaced with another.

I'm now biting my tongue, concentrating on something. There's a bow and arrow in my hand. I knock it back and close one eye, ready to fire…

…and lose all concentration when a pair of gloved hands cover mine from behind.

Pain like knives burns through my head. I scream. The hands disappear. I still hear the voices through the white and feel his hands upon mine even though I don't see them, fading in and out like waves.

"_See, you've almost got it. But your natural talent will only get you so far, you have to know the proper technique." _

I can feel him gripping my right hand a little more firmly, correcting its positioning_._

"…_and posture."_

Together, we both pull back on the arrow, notching it, and in one swift motion it is released. A target appears like smoke and an arrow is shown hitting the bull's eye.

"_See? Not so hard now is it? A little more practice and you may prove to be some competition in a few years." _

The vision begins to fade entirely, the voices drifting away like the bell tolls lost in the wind.

And with it, the pain ceases.

I'm on the ground. That much I know. It's cold, and hard. I open my eyes and I'm face to face with the man garbed in black. His azure eyes widen and he's panting heavily as I am. He was screaming too, I heard it. He must have seen what I saw. I'm certain.

What had happened? I touched him and…

I glance down at his un-gloved hand and what I see there startles me, something glints brightly from the back of it. It's golden. But he's too far away. I can't tell what it is. Something seems to possess me and I reach out to touch him.

I hear a low growl and I realize it's coming from the man. He quickly backs away and stumbles to his feet with a jerk. With one last menacing look, he turns his back to me and his cloak flutters in the wind behind him.

I watch him long enough to see him scoop up Lynn's unconscious form before the haze takes over and my body goes limp. I hit the ground again with a thud. The last thing I see is a broken sign laying a few feet away with the words: Archery Shop, before giving into the darkness.


	4. Chapter IV

**Chapter IV**

"It's a beautiful sight, isn't it?"

I nod. My back is turned toward the voice. Ahead of me, there are vast plains and valleys, forests and rivers. The setting sun gives everything a warm, golden glow and the lake to my right twinkles with tangerine sparkles. To my left lay the bustling mountain village, full of life and fireplace smoke, its citizens ready to settle down for the evening. It truly was breath-taking. Nothing could parallel this sight.

"Indeed."

The woman appears at my side, sharing the bird's eye view of the land that stretches out before me. I watch as the distant outline of black crows cut through the saturated sky and for a moment I forgot where I am. I pretend that I'm flying with them, through the clouds, into the sunset, and beyond into the unknown. Rays of sunlight shine down through scarlet clouds, illuminating patches of field grass. A horse and its rider in the distance catch my eye.

"That is why we must do everything we can to protect it, so it will remain just as this," she nods to the window and what lay past it.

I frown as uneasiness begins to creep into the corners of my mind with her words, fighting back the tranquility of the birds and the glittering water. Slowly, the green valleys and orange sky before me begin to recede. Their pure hues are stained with the slinking fingers of darkness- like ink spreading across white parchment. The lake morphs into a foul-colored pit of shadows. The mountain, becoming grotesque in shape with harsh, jagged edges. The air stills. It becomes hard to breathe and for the first time I turn away from the window, seeking refuge from its darkness. I turn towards the woman in fear, craving her comfort but instead I let out a shriek when I see what she's become.

A disfigured and macabre figure stares back at me with hollow eyes of accusation. The scars that run down her face make it so that I can't identify where her mouth starts and her nose stops. Her dress hangs in tatters and I am hardly able to make out the crest of a bird with three once-golden triangles. She reaches out a mangled finger, pointing at me. Her chapped and bloody lips part but not a sound can be heard. I try to take a step back but I can't move. That's when I realize.

Her shocking appearance isn't her only horrifying attribute. No.

The post-mortem corpse that I'm staring at is me.

* * *

><p>I'm awakened by a scream. Blankets are twisted around my body and I can't help but envision them as the decimating hands of the specter from my nightmare. I thrash around, attempting to free myself from their clutches and begin to panic when it becomes difficult. I don't recognize where I am, it's dark just like the shadows that usurped the land. I bring a sweaty palm to my face in an attempt to calm myself down and slow my beating heart. I force myself to recall the last thing I remember but it's proving to be difficult.<p>

I take this time to examine my surroundings. The room I'm in is small, there are no windows. I can barely see through the darkness. The only real piece of furniture is the bed that I had been sleeping in, otherwise it seems to be used as a storage room. There are several crates and pots stacked amongst clutter that litters the room. Just as my eyes begin to linger on a familiar symbol hanging on the wall, my attention is quickly caught by a soft creak. My head snaps up and spots a dark figure in the doorway, light streaming in around it. The visions come back like daggers puncturing my head.

The blue eyes of the mysterious man.

The electrifying shock of our vision.

The way he retreated from me as if he had been frightened.

Lynn.

She's gone.

My heart accelerates again as the figure comes closer and I all I can picture beneath that hood is the feral eyes of the man who took her. I'm defenseless. The only thing I have clutched in my hand is a knotted blanket. Maybe I could hide. Yes, pretend that I have vanished underneath the depths of the bedding. That'll work.

The figure is now so close that it could reach out and touch me if it wanted but it remains still. It stands there next to me for quite some time, perhaps contemplating if it wants to kill me or not. I don't know whether to start screaming, fighting, or running, but strangely I remain still. The mysterious person reaches up and pulls back their hood- and I instantly recognize her.

The unmistakable scar that runs down the left side of her face is a dead giveaway: it's the woman from the shack on the outskirts of Hyrule. Her silver hair is braided down her back this time and she doesn't look as menacing as I had remembered her. If anything, she almost seems… concerned. Her right blood-red eye stares at me while the other remains milky and indistinguishable.

I bite my lip.

"I see that you're awake. Quite the set of lungs you have there."

I feel my cheeks grow hot. I didn't realize I had been screaming out loud, from a dream no less.

"Do not fret. You're safe now," she takes a pause, tilting her head to the side then turns around and begins to head back toward the door.

"Come, there is food awaiting in the other room. You look famished," she takes another pause then nods to her left, "I have set out clothing for you next to that wardrobe if you wish to change… it may not be your _style, _however."

I watch as she leaves the door open a crack behind her and I am once again left alone in the dark room. I don't know how I ended up here or why, out of all the people, I have been taken in by that strange woman again. My stomach rumbles and I push my questions aside, craving the smell of food that had escaped from the other room. I wearily swing my legs over the side of the bed and nearly fall back down when I try to stand. It feels like I've been sleeping for years. The heavy curtain of drowsiness is hard to lift and I groan as I try to do so. A dull ache has taken up residence inside my forehead ever since I opened my eyes.

Daintily, I pick up the clothing the woman had indicated and let it unfold. It's more like a multitude of grey bandages and wraps than the tunic or dress I had expected. Underneath the pile is a dark, navy-blue one-piece that looks to be used as some type of warrior's clothes. It seems to be made out of leather and light chainmail. My curiosity peaks when I begin to notice the material's intricate details. There are several symbols and patterns that are stitched into the garb in various places, namely on the breast area and down to the torso. Most of them are the emblem that I have seen many times before- on the strange woman's cloak and embroidered in the tapestry above the bed. It's an eye with a single tear drop hanging from the lid.

I have seen nothing like this before, especially not in Calatia.

I chew on the inside of my cheek, contemplating whether to dress in the strange outfit or continue wearing my filthy (and now ragged) riding pants and tunic. I lay the bundle of clothes back upon the crate for a moment and that's when I notice the large white scarf that's next to it, it's so enormous in size that it almost seems to act as a cape as well. It is autumn after all and it will only get colder. I sigh.

When I'm dressed, I stand in front of an aged, yellow mirror that seems to be abandoned with everything else that was thrown in here.

I don't even look like myself anymore.

I braided my dark hair along the side of my face so that it rests on my shoulder. The body suit is skin tight but flexible and surprisingly comfortable. I had wrapped the bandages around my breasts so they could better fit inside the material then used what was left over on my wrists and hands like gloves. The scarf wraps up to my nose if I want but I have it pulled down below my chin for the time being and the tail end gracefully drapes over my shoulders. I look like a vagabond. An assassin.

I shiver.

After lacing up knee-high boots that she had also given me, I exit through the door. I'm instantly assailed by the smell of delicious stew and my mouth beings to water. I quickly try to analyze my surroundings but nothing looks familiar, I had expected to walk out into the house that Lynn and I had stayed at before. But this is entirely different. I am shocked to see that there are more people in here than just the older woman.

A man with a burly, dark mustache sprinkled with grey and a large gut to boot snores loudly on the bottom mattress of a bunk-bed. A younger woman with short hair that's even redder than Lynn's stands near the window wringing her hands and a young boy sits on the ground playing with a couple of rocks. He has dirt smeared on his face. Memories flash by of crying children in Castletown Market in rags. I close my eyes momentarily to make it stop.

When I open them the mysterious woman is staring at me wide-eyed with a clay bowl full of stew in her hands. For a moment, I'm almost certain that she's going to drop the food onto the floor before she catches herself and once again hides behind her mask of impassiveness.

I nod with a small smile and take the bowl from her, "Thank you."

Her gaze continues to linger on me as I take a seat at a small wooden table and begin to devour eagerly. I steal another glance at her after shoving a spoonful of carrots into my mouth and am shocked to see a touch of sadness there. Once our eyes meet, she turns away and prepares another bowl of stew.

"I was right. You haven't eaten in a while, have you?"

I swallow then shake my head, "No Miss, I haven't. Thank you very much for your hospitality, you've been very kind."

She lets out a small chuckle that is barely audible over the loud snoring from across the room.

"Do not thank me, child. This is what I do," she turns around with a bowl in her hand and makes a sweeping gesture with her other. I turn around to follow the motion of her arm and my eyes lock onto those of the woman by the window, she looks frightened. Is it me that she's afraid of?

Her gaze turns to the silver-haired woman, "Impa, there's another one of you? Another Shiekah?"

The strange woman that I can finally put a name to stares at me even though she talks to another.

"No," she says softly, her voice betrays a hint of sorrow. "I gave her some of the Shiekan garb to protect her from the elements outside. She's a traveler," she pauses and turns to look at me more directly, "just passing by."

The red-haired woman continues to stare, I can feel her reluctance to believe Impa in her gaze but nonetheless she seems to take her words with validity. I look back down at my stew, unwilling to meet anyone else's eyes for the time being. A Shiekah? I had never heard of such a thing. Whatever it is, it must have something to do with those eye emblems and perhaps an explanation for Impa's guarded behavior. Considering the way the young woman seemed to react towards the notion of me being one, I'd say that they're probably not the most docile of people. Maybe I wasn't too far off with the concept of an assassin. I swallow hard.

"They look good on you," says Impa. I look up to meet her gaze, feeling uncomfortable in my own skin.

"Thank you," I say even though I feel out of place uttering the words. I'm not sure whether it should be a compliment or I should feel shameful to be associated with this… race? Cult? A group of murderers? Whatever it is.

Impa sits down in a wooden chair opposite from me, her own bowl of stew in hand. I have nearly finished mine, finally feeling satisfied for the first time in days.

"You must have many questions," she says. "It's a shame you were caught up in this."

I nod, unsure of what to ask first. I decide that the basics should be the way to go, not too much too soon. "Where are we? This doesn't look like…" I trail off. She understands.

"Yes, what you and your friend stumbled upon was my storage shack just on the outskirts of the Lost Woods. I gather my materials from there and weld weapons to bring back here."

Weapons. Hyrule hardly seems like the kind of place that tolerates its citizens possessing artilleries. Have I stumbled upon something that's not known to the general public? I sneak another glance at the other people in the room. The red-haired woman doesn't exactly look like she's ready to attend a formal ball but she's most certainly not as worse-for-wear as the citizens in Castletown Market. The boy seems content as a child playing with rocks can be and the man on the bed… well, was snoring as loud as he could. That's saying something.

"We're in a small town a little ways from Castletown called Kakariko Village. I'm its founder and leader. I should also mention that you've been resting here for a little over a day now."

I'm shocked at the discovery of how much time had passed. I didn't even realize.

"This town… is somewhat of a refuge village if you will. Many citizens came here seeking safety after things started to decline at the castle. Women and children mainly while their husbands left to try and find a means of providing. Most did not return."

I hear a faint sniff from across the room. I look up to see the woman with her arms wrapped around herself, gazing out of the window.

My mind begins to wander back to the horrid images of the market and I can't help but wonder why this place had remained relatively benign.

"Those men… they don't come here? The ones that cause the turmoil in Castletown in the first place?" I ask.

She shakes her head, "It is not just them that has transformed Hyrule into what you see today. They are only but the face of the evil that has corrupted this once peaceful land." Impa looks away momentarily, gazing past the woman and out of the window. Her bad eye doesn't seem to land on anything in particular. I begin to imagine it's staring at me from a peripheral view.

"To answer your question: yes. They have tried. I've been able to keep them at bay for the time being, but I grow afraid it won't be much longer until they gain the power to overcome me."

I raise my eyebrows slightly, the woman in front of me seems to be worn with age. Not brittle or helpless, but I don't pick up on an aura of power or strength like I had with the men garbed in black. If she tells the truth then she hides it well.

"That leads me to a question of my own," she turns her head back toward me and stares into my eyes, "I saw you. Back in the market. You fended off the one they call Vaine with a mere touch. It's safe to say everyone was quite bewildered including the man himself." I notice the woman by the window is now looking at us, her interest suddenly peaked. The man on the far side of the room continues to snore, the only sound that could be heard besides the clinking of rocks while I remain silent.

I continue to look at Impa, unable to formulate words. What do I say? That's not how I saw it. I wasn't _fending _off anyone. I reacted and touched his hand. That's when the visions appeared.

"Miss… Impa?" I begin, testing out the appropriateness of saying her name, "If you are insinuating that I have _magical _powers then I'm sorry to disappoint you. Magic doesn't exist and I sure don't possess any of it. I just recently discovered a natural talent of archery but as far as anything else goes… I don't have any explanations. One moment he was attacking me and the next he had Lynn in his arms and he was gone."

Impa stares at me with her trademark stoic expression and purses her lips. "Very well," she nods her head slowly.

I take this as my opportunity, "Miss Impa, what… what are they going to do with Lynn?"

I watch as she closes her eyes and for a moment I think that she will refuse me an answer. Slowly, she opens them and I stare at her good one, lost in the depths of its red hues. I'm caught off guard as Impa suddenly leans in across the table, close enough so that I am only able to make out her words.

"Do you know what those men do once a fortnight?"

I swallow and shake my head.

"They raid the Castletown Market, in search of two Hylian maidens. This ritual has been going on ever since the new King rose to power."

"_You don't want her! She's not even Hylian, she's a Calatian! Check her ears!" _Lynn's voice rings through my head. A cold sweat overcomes me with realization. She knew what they wanted. She knew.

Lynn… why?

I shake my head more furiously, trying to comprehend, "I… I don't understand. Why are they doing this? Why is this happening? Why Lynn!?" My voice rises with each question, bordering on hysterical. I hear a noise from behind me and the sudden cease of the once rhythmic snoring. I turn around hesitantly to see the man with the dark mustache sit up with a groan. The child on the floor now stares at me with wide eyes, the woman by the window does the same.

"What in tarnation is all that there yellin' goin' on?"

Impa looks past me with a soft smile, "Don't fret Talon, a new guest and I were having a conversation. I apologize, we shall lower our voices."

Talon scratches the back of his head sheepishly, "Bah. Don't worry bout it, Miss Impa. You let me snore all day long on yer bed here, I got no right to be complainin'." He stretches momentarily before standing up and heading towards the front door. "I might as well put these lazy sack o' bones to good use, sorry bout the noise."

Impa shakes her head politely, "It is no bother."

Just as he's almost out of the door he suddenly turns around on his heel as if he's forgotten something then catches my eye. "Where are my manners? I'm Talon, owne-" he winces, "former owner of Lon Lon Ranch a little ways from Kakariko." He extends a large, calloused hand and I politely take it.

"Reina… from Calatia."

He shakes it vigorously, "Ah, I knew them ears weren't Hylian. All the way from Calatia, huh? I have a daughter who left for Calatia a while back… haven't heard from her in a while," he shakes his head and gives me the most genuine smile I've seen since I've arrived in Hyrule. It's nice. "Crazy girl to be comin' here out of all places. If you knew what was good for ya, you'd go back home as soon as possible."

I force a small smile, not knowing how to respond to such a thing. I already torture myself enough with 'what-if's and 'could have done this', 'should have done that'. Now I'm in too deep. Lynn is kidnapped. I'm not leaving without her.

"Good day to ya," he nods and turns back around, "and good luck."

After the door closes, the woman by the window takes her cue to make her way over to the boy on the ground who had long abandoned his rocks. "Come on, sweetie. Want to go take a walk with Mommy?" The woman bends over and pick up the boy, resting him on her hip.

"We're just going to get some air and leave you two alone for a little while. I apologize for the intrusion."

Impa waves a hand, "It is I who is sorry, Anju, we should have taken it outside. Supper will be prepared by dusk."

She nods and the two exit just as Talon had moments prior.

"I'm sorry, Miss Impa, I didn't mean to scare everyone off," I begin.

She waves another hand in front of her, "Just as I told everyone else, do not worry. They are nice people. You didn't scare anyone off."

I nod solemnly. Not knowing what to say anymore after the interlude.

"You know, Reina," she says, using my name. She makes it sound nice the way she pronounces it. "Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to take Talon's advice and head back to Calatia. This is not the safest place to be right now. And as I recall, you told me before that you were just 'passing through','" she raises her eyebrows. I swallow. So she was making a small stab at me earlier when she mentioned that.

"Yes, well. Lynn and I were actually here to negotiate trade at the International Affairs building. She had received a letter not too long ago requesting her presence here, we work on the largest ranch in Calatia," I explain.

Impa pulls her eyebrows together, obviously confused by something I had said. "Trade?"

I nod.

She begins to shake her head in response, "Hyrule does not make trade with Calatia, the new King made sure of that due to his own personal biases. Besides, the International Affairs building hasn't existed since King Nohanson was in power many years ago. Damir ordered it to be destroyed and negotiates trade directly."

Saying that I was surprised to hear this information would be an understatement. If what Impa said was true then that means…

Impa's eyes suddenly widen and she stands abruptly with such swiftness that I could hardly tell what happened. I flinch as she makes her way over to me. Scrutinizing me.

"What is your real name?"

"What?"

"Your _real _name. Or this _Lynn's _for that matter."

"Excuse me?" I'm taken aback, her tone has completely changed. Just as she was beginning to seem like an ally I'm becoming confused as to what's really going on here.

Her blood-red eye stares at me with such an intensity that I flinch under her gaze again and look away.

"Damir… he wanted you… or _her_… but why?" I try to make sense of her mumblings but I just end up more confused than when all this started. Maybe I should make a run for it. Find Lynn on my own.

"The Triforce," she says suddenly. I look back up at her and I see something in her expression that wasn't there before. Worry? Anxiousness?

"You must know what it is, have you seen its marking?" She's beginning to scare me. Her voice is growing intense. Frantic. The one person I could not imagine behaving so.

I shake my head vigorously. I have no idea what she's talking about. A tri- what?

"You must know! There's no other way that-"

Suddenly, the floor beneath us shifts and Impa grabs onto the table to keep from falling over. I do the same even though I'm seated in my chair. A loud rumbling begins from a distance and I feel it coming closer, like a climax to an explosion. The roof begins to crumble in places, rocks and trickles of dirt fall from above and the earth quakes even more violently.

"What's going on!?" I yell over the commotion.

Impa's once crazed expression is now replaced with her usual collected seriousness. Although, this time I sense a growing feeling of slight panic in her demeanor.

"Get down!" she grabs me by my arms and shoves me under the table. My eyebrows draw in concern when she doesn't follow.

"Impa!?"

I see her shaking her head as the rumbling grows louder and she continues to hold onto the table for support. She's mumbling something to herself but I can't quite make out what she's saying.

Then just as quickly as it started, everything stops. With one final jolt, I land forward on my hands and gasp. Something is happening. I can feel it. I look up at Impa who now stares at the window. I can't see from my perspective.

"They're here."

Her tone sends a tremor down my spine.

She quickly turns around and bends down to my eye level then looks past me. "Get in the wardrobe in the back room. Now. Go!"

I nod and scramble to my feet, hitting my head on the table as I do so. I meet her eyes once more.

"NOW!"

On the turn of my heel, I flee to the door and slam it behind me, suddenly enveloped in darkness. The wardrobe, the wardrobe… where was the wardrobe?

My eyes land on a large, dark shape in the shadows and I quickly make haste. I hear something pounding from the other room and as soon as I close the last door of the closet on myself, there's a crash.

I can hear the muffled voices very clearly.

"Ah, hello again Impa. Long time no see."

There's a pause.

"What? No welcoming hospitality? I thought that this was the place to come when you needed a meal and a good night's rest?"

Silence.

"Don't be that way. I'm just… hungry. I came for some warm food. Are you really going to turn down a poor citizen in need?"

"Get out, _filth_."

I hear a faint clicking noise.

"Ah, so that's how the great Impa treats her needy townsfolk. Good to know."

"Get out, or I will _force_ you out."

Faint snickering echoes through the closet door.

"I think you and I both know that it's only a matter of time before I take you out for good, Impa. An old woman like you has no business meddling in these royal affairs."

More silence but this time I begin to feel uneasy. Footsteps. They're echoing. Closer. Closer.

"I smell a mouse, Impa. Keeping pets now are we?"

More footsteps. Closer… a door opens. He's in the room. I hold my breath.

Suddenly, I hear him yell and there's a loud crash. Impa must have attacked him. I hear struggling, grunting, another yell. That one was from Impa.

"Get off me, wench!"

I hear a sickening pop and she lets out another yell. Footsteps again. They're heading towards me. He knows I'm here. He's going to find me. This is it. I prepare myself.

Another crash and the man lets out a distorted noise before I hear the solid thump of his body on the floor just outside of the wardrobe. I'm momentarily blinded by light and then I see a scarlet eye followed by matching red liquid on the side of her face. Impa takes my hand I clamber over the man's body. It's the one who took out the woman from Castletown Market so swiftly that it had been a blur. We quickly make our way into the front room and stop short.

If there's only one here then there's still the other one…

…that's standing right in front of us.

I let out a gasp as my eyes land on the dark figure standing in front of the door, illuminated by the overcast light from outside. His hood is pulled over his head just as last time. I can't make out his face.

Impa suddenly reaches down to her thigh with the hand that's not clutched to my arm and produces four small throwing knives. At an inhuman speed, she throws them with deadly precision. I watch in awe as the man that they call Vaine catches them in between his fingers.

All but one.

It slices through the side of his neck and he lets out a hiss, clamping a hand to the bleeding wound. Impa takes advantage of his preoccupation and produces a small object that resembles a nut. She throws it onto the ground and then everything goes white.

When I regain my senses, we are no longer inside the small house but outside in the center of the village. For the first time since I've awakened I'm able to get a good look of the place. There are several buildings but the village itself is not large in size. They all have red rooftops save for one that has smoke in front of it, the house we had been staying at, it's purple instead. I conclude that it must be because Impa is the village leader. Speaking of villagers, none can be seen. Although I do catch a glimpse of a small head peeking through one of the windows only to be yanked away.

Impa stands in front of me, slightly hunched over in a battle stance. That's when I see the dark figure emerge from the white smoke. He's now carrying a sword in his left hand. Impa draws what looks to be a kodachi in her right. The smoke settles and the two stand there for what seems to be an eternity, sizing each other up. Waiting for the first move.

Then Impa lets out a battle cry.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Wow, finally made it to chapter four! I'm trying to keep it minimal with the author's notes because I know they can quickly clutter up a story. But I just wanted to tell you all thank you for your support of my story so far. It's been a blast writing it and it really helps me cope with the stress of college. I try to post a chapter each weekend but with the holidays coming up that could fluctuate (sooner or later). So thanks for sticking with me thus far! Thank you again for those of you that have been reviewing, it's so very encouraging. (:


	5. Chapter V

**Chapter V**

My eyes can't keep up with their God-like speed.

Their deftness is inhuman.

One second Impa has the upper hand and I'm nearly certain she has this fight in the bag then in a blink of an eye that's too quick for me to comprehend, Vaine has her on the ground, his sword pressed to her throat. I want to close my eyes, just for a second. They burn because if I blink then I will miss half the battle. It's not like I can keep up anyways, but I can't force myself to look away.

They both possess nearly equal technique and skill. Impa fights with a litheness that I can't formulate into words. She's almost like a leaf in the wind- drifting and changing course without hesitation. I can't see how the man in black can touch her- but he does. He's not as swift as she but he has an unparalleled talent with the sword. He knows when to deflect, block, and switch to the offensive before Impa can get a hit in of her own. From the looks of it, Vaine may have the upper hand. My eyes are too slow to tell for certain. I'm utterly helpless and for some reason this bothers me. I feel the urge to fight, to help Impa.

But I'm weak.

I instinctively reach behind me for my bow and arrow only to realize they must still be inside the house. I didn't even think to ask Impa about them before. I inwardly curse myself.

The two warriors are faster than the wind itself. White and black blurs. Dark against light.

And dark is winning.

Distantly, I hear the squawking of crows over the clanging of metal and the grunts. The sounds of battle begin to fade and become a dull hum in the back of my mind. I look past them to see the trees that sway with the wind. Raindrops begin to coat their brown leaves. Another yell. Another clash of armory. Then silence. Silence. The scene around me begins to blur and everything seems to be far out of my reach. Impa and Vaine are nothing but a swirl of colors. Black and white. White and black. I feel like I'm going to be sick.

A violent shove pulls me back to reality and breath escapes me as the back of my head connects with something solid. There's a hand wrapped around my face, muffling my cry and keeping me from fighting back against my captor. What's going on? If Vaine and Impa are over there then that means…

My stomach plummets and my knees become weak when I feel the cold edge of a blade run along the length of my face. Delicately. Then painfully. I feel something wet dripping past my jaw. Drops of red. Another. And another.

"Is this what you two are causing such a commotion over?"

I watch as both warrior's attention are suddenly redirected towards me, as if I'm the King of Hyrule himself standing before them. Impa's eyes narrow in anger while Vaine's remain impassive as ever. However, I spot the slightest flickering of a shadow across his face that vanishes as quickly as it appeared, leading me to believe that it was a figment of my imagination.

The man now holds the knife to my throat, just beneath my jugular. I feel the urge to gag.

"What could this one little girl have you all worked up about, Vaine? Something that you're not telling me?"

The man in question continues to stare. No more shadows. Just emotionless as ever.

"I thought that we were closer than that, dear brother. Withholding secrets now?" The man makes a sound that reminds me of the ticking clock that hangs in my bedroom back in Calatia. He pushes the dagger further into my neck and I let out a strangled cry. I'm unsure whether he's going to cut off my head or crush my windpipe first. Both seem very unpleasant.

"If there are truly no secrets between us then I suppose you won't mind if I kill the Shiekah girl. Speaking of which," he turns to Impa, "I thought your kind died out long before the Civil War."

She continues to glare, choosing to neither confirm nor deny his statement.

"No matter," he pushes the blade further, "it'll be extinct before this land sees sundown."

I'm gasping. Everything burns, my lungs, my neck, my throat. I know that he's drawn blood. I can feel it. I look around frantically, my sights setting on Vaine. For the first time, I see real emotion touch his features. Conflict. Anger. It's no longer a shadow. For a second I allow myself to think that he'll save me but he never moves. He remains as still as Impa.

They both watch as my life slowly begins to slip out of my grasp. It's getting dark. Hazy. I'm unmoving.

The grass beneath me shifts and I'm standing on nothing. I feel empty. Hollow.

I distantly hear someone call out before the darkness shrouds me and I no longer see Impa, Vaine, or the village. I no longer feel the burn of the blade.

I don't know where I am anymore. I can't focus. I can't breathe. Just when a stifling feeling of panic begins to rise in my throat, a figure appears in the distance. A woman. She's far. It's almost like she's standing at the end of a dark tunnel. She has her hand out, waiting for me. Waiting for me to grasp it. But I can't. Too far. Too dark.

Her smooth features begin to drop, sadness masks her gentle face. But yet, she continues to reach for me and I continue to try and fight the darkness. It's powerful. It holds me at bay. As I struggle forward, I notice the back of her outstretched hand glints brightly against the shadows, causing them to retreat with silent screams. A weight is lifted and oxygen fills my lungs. I feel a renewed sense of strength seep into my very being, warming my fingertips and ending with my toes. I'm almost there. I can now make out her long, golden hair. The bejeweled tiara she wears on her head. Her regal, rose colored dress that gives her an air of authority- of divinity.

The glow on the back of her hand becomes clear now, three golden triangles rest there. It's then that I realize I've seen this symbol before. They're the same golden triangles that reside on her dress, on the soldier's uniforms, above the entrance to Castletown Market, on the dismantled structures of homes, on the back of the warrior of darkness' hand…

"The Triforce," she answers in a voice that sounds as smooth as silk- like the voice of a Goddess. She continues to beckon me forward into her warmth.

I'm almost there. I lunge forward to grasp her glowing hand with my own-

Then I'm falling.

The darkness envelopes me whole and I watch her golden figure disappear within the shadows. The last thing I hear is her melodic voice call out to me and then she's gone.

I scream for her until I cannot scream any longer. This desperate need to be with her overwhelms my being and I focus all my energy on finding her once more. I picture her glowing hand, her warmth, and her voice.

The darkness shifts and color begins to seep back through the edges of my vision. What I see is not Kakariko, however. No, I'm running through Castletown at a breakneck pace, something that I could never fathom being capable of. But yet, here I am running faster than any horse ever could. The Shiekan garb that I wear allows me to move with the utmost flexibility.

The market is not too much different than I last saw it, except that the sky is a sickly shade of purple and it isn't homeless Hylians that line the alleyways of dilapidated buildings. They are replaced with skeletons that wear disintegrating flesh. Their cracked ribs poke out of thin layers of festering skin, their hands, no more than blood-stained bone shaped like twigs. And their faces. Their faces are the most horrid thing I've ever seen. The eyes are hollow, black circles that leave me feeling harrowed and empty while their yellowed teeth remain clamped together in preparation for something that I don't want to think about.

I fear them but I don't feel it. I don't allow myself. I continue to run past them without allowing my thoughts to linger. Something in the back of my mind tells me that normally I would have broken down in terror. Now, I somehow possess strength that keeps me going.

I attempt to turn left but my body doesn't follow. That's when I realize that I'm not the one in control here. This isn't me. No wonder I haven't curled up into a fetal positon already.

Suddenly, I come to a screeching halt as an ear-deafening scream echoes throughout the market. I grimace and become paralyzed with head-splitting pain. When the buzzing in my ears fades away and my senses return, I'm face to face with one of the walking corpses.

In a moment's reaction I summon forth a burst of light that leaves behind a burning warmth in my chest and protrudes from my palms. It engulfs the carcass in a shroud of blinding white power. When the light recedes, nothing remains of the undead being except for a small pile of ashes that blows away with the wind.

I continue running as if nothing had happened.

I hear them moaning behind me, screaming, but I don't let them near me again. I try to force my head to turn around but my body won't obey.

There's a sudden weight on my chest and I begin to question if it had been there all along. I fight back against the restraints. I will make my body move. I _will. _This is _my _life.

"NO!" I scream. I feel the familiar burning sensation erupt from my chest and a moment later the restraints disappear.

I blink. The dark and bloody streets of Castletown Market are slowly replaced with an overcast Kakariko Village. I'm gasping for air but I don't know why. I don't know what happened. How am I back in Kakariko?

I blink again. There's a figure in my vision. I blink three times. It's the man. The man who held a blade to my throat. He's on the ground- unconscious. But how?

I look around until my eyes find Impa and Vaine. The expressions they wear are nothing short of shock and bewilderment. What happened here? There seems to be a blank spot within my memory. I remember beginning to lose consciousness, the dagger on my throat, Vaine and Impa's frozen forms. I look down at my hands and what I see there shocks me.

The bandages seem to be slightly burned and they are quite literally letting off smoke. I shake my head slowly.

I sent my captor flying with magic from my fingertips.

I stare at my singed hands in awe as if they will explain to me how this happened. Magic doesn't exist. No. No, this isn't real. I'm dreaming. I'm back on the ranch in Calatia with Lynn, having one of my many nightmares. She will snap me out of it in a few minutes. I know she will.

I know it.

She always does.

Lynn?

I stagger forward and drop to my knees, suddenly exhausted of any strength to hold my body upright. I watch as Impa attempts to run to my side but is abruptly stopped by Vaine's sword. He holds it in front of her face and stares at her with his piercing blue eyes.

"No."

She sends a scarlet glare in his direction but doesn't move to raise her kodachi in response.

"You know I won't stand idly by and let you take her," she says.

"Then you will die trying."

Impa doesn't back down from his gaze but her demeanor makes a sudden shift. It's as if she knows what he says is factual, but she's willing to fight anyways. She assumes her crouched fighting stance and prepares her blade.

"Foolish woman. You throw your life away unnecessarily."

Something flashes her in her narrowed eyes, "No. I _sacrifice _my life for the fate of Hyrule."

Wait a minute. Fate of Hyrule?

"Spoken like a true Shiekah," he steps back into a fighting stance of his own, "The dying words of an entire race." Then he lunges.

This time, it's as if the fight had been slowed down a notch so my eyes could keep up. I'm able to make out the way Impa parries Vaine's side sweeps or how he deflects another round of Impa's hidden set of throwing knives. The way they weave in and out, back flipping and evading the thrust of blades, it's like a sacred and beautiful dance. I had never seen anything so expertly executed in my life.

Vaine rolls into a somersault to avoid Impa's over-head jab and uses his momentum to spring up behind her and slice at her back. She's fast but not fast enough, a thin scarlet line appears down the left side of her shoulder blade as she dodges the lethal blow. Vaine begins to right himself and she uses the opportunity throw what looks like several needles one after another. He takes off in the opposite direction, nearly outrunning all of them except for a few. One catches him in the cheek, made obvious by a red drip, and another snags the top of his hood- pulling it down to his shoulders.

My eyes widen. He doesn't look anything like what I had pictured. A shock of blonde hair compliments his blue eyes complete with a sharp and chiseled jaw and a slight scar that runs down his left cheek bone. It's the face of a warrior. Eyes that have seen many battles and scarred lips that have uttered very few cries. I take notice of the small blue-hooped earring in his left ear, it contrasts with his black cloak that billows in the wind. His eyes flash angrily and his once attractive features are morphed into grotesque fury.

Impa's expressions falters slightly.

"Impossible…" she whispers almost inaudibly. I'm uncertain how I was able to hear it.

Vaine lets out a menacing growl. In one languid motion he extends his right arm then swings it back to meet his left. A red hue begins to materialize around his gloved hands and I notice Impa's panicked expression before I realize what's happening. I watch in confusion as he lets out a yell and slams his glowing palm onto the ground.

Then the world explodes.

* * *

><p>Sharp pain in the back of my neck awakens me. I'm moving- no, I'm <em>being <em>moved. My feet aren't touching the ground nor is anything else for that matter. My body is swaying rhythmically and my head is being jostled around with no constraint. I feel something pop.

Carefully, I open my eyes slightly only to see buildings hanging from the sky… and the grass seems to be growing in the wrong direction? No. I blink a couple of times. I'm hanging upside down, or at least my head is. That's when the rest of my senses come to and I notice the firm grip on my legs and back. I'm being carried. But by whom?

I decide to remain still but I keep my eyes open trying to make sense of where I am. It looks like I'm still in Kakariko Village, considering all the upside down red-roofed houses. I blink. Once. Twice. Was the grass always brown?

Suddenly, we stop and my head snaps back then falls forward again. It's a surprise I haven't died already. When my eyes readjust, I have to bite my tongue to stifle the gasp that tries to force its way through my teeth.

A little ways in the distance is Impa down on her knees, a man stands above her with a dagger to her throat. I swallow and blink back the dry spots in my eyes, it's hard to keep focus when all the blood is rushing to your head- and has been for quite some time. I squint, trying to make out the figure that stands in front of her. With a start, I realize that it's not Vaine who has her down to her knees but his partner. The one who I had knocked unconcious. How long had I been out?

Taking notice of this allows me to come to a new realization. I swallow again. If it's not Impa holding me nor the talkative and maybe slightly insane one of the duo, then it must be the ruthless and stoic Vaine who is literally holding my life in his hands. I'm not sure if I should be thankful it's not his psychotic partner or gripped with fear because this man could be capable of so much more. I wonder what else he hides under that stone-cold expression of his.

As if this notion wasn't bad enough, I begin to notice the stinging burn marks on my arms and legs. Not severe, but enough to make me want to wince in pain. It takes all the restraint I can muster to remain as still as a dead body could be.

Wait a minute, the dead grass… the burns on my skin. There was an explosion. I distinctly remember the heat, the fire that licked at my face and overwhelmed my senses. I shift my eyes. I don't see any flames.

"Not so powerful anymore are you, _Shiekah_?" I hear the man spit the word as if it were a taste of sour milk. Impa continues to glare, unmoving, remaining silent.

"Noire," I feel his deep voice rumble through his chest as Vaine speaks. The other man's head snaps up to face us. I close my eyes.

"Stop being a fool and wasting time. Burn the rest of the village. Kill the woman. I'm taking the girl back to Damir."

"Whatever you say, _boss_," he says with nonchalance.

"It will be your head if you are not back in a timely fashion. Be grateful that I decided to spare the time to warn you."

_Your life was spared. Be grateful. _I remember his words from the other day. Considering the situation I'm in now, it seems to be that my life isn't exactly spared any longer. I feel Vaine's weight shift and I know that he's no longer facing them. However, when I open my eyes again I can still make out their shadowed forms. The man reveals a toothy smile.

"You hear that, Impa? Looks like _boss_ wants you dead. Can't say I'm complaining." I see him move the dagger in his hand, pressing it harder against Impa's pale skin. "Ask the other sage's how Hell is treating them for me, will you? You're a doll."

I watch long enough to see Noire's shadow make a swift motion across her throat with the blade. Then my blood runs cold.

Her silhouette falls to the ground. I close my eyes to keep from screaming.

I feel as if the air in my lungs has been kicked out of me and the vomit rising in my throat.

Impa's dead because of me.

Lynn is captured because of me.

How many more people have to die because of my weaknesses?

Because I am unable to drive back the darkness.

Several emotions overwhelm me at once and I am unable to differentiate between them all. Sadness, guilt, remorse, fear, anger, and the desire to seek revenge upon these men. These men that have killed so many others before. They have shattered lives and ended them when they had no right to. I picture the citizens of Hyrule, cowering in Castletown Market, filthy and disheveled. Children without parents. Husbands without wives. Orphans, widows, and outcasts.

I watch Kakariko Village go up in flames as my limp body is carried down the stairs to Hyrule Field.

Evil has won. I didn't realize until it was too late.

Impa was Hyrule's last hope.

I should have left as soon as I had woken up. Instead, I imposed. I ate her food, and donned her clothing, I asked her questions that caused unrest and inevitably her death. If I had not been there, these men would not have been in Kakariko looking for me in the first place. I curse myself for my weakness, for tagging along with Lynn. I had no business being here.

A loud whinny snaps me out of my shocked stupor. I shift my gaze to see a silver bay horse just ahead of us. Her reddish-brown coat seems to gleam in the overcast sunlight and she throws her white mane around as she rears back, obviously frightened by the sudden onset of flames behind us.

"Easy, girl," I hear Vaine coax the horse as we near. I find this odd, how gentle his voice seems to be when communicating her. It's as if he's a different person- no longer the stone-cold warrior of shadows that had just ordered the death of a noble woman. As we near, my breath hitches in my throat and I blink several times to make sure what I'm seeing is real. This is no ordinary horse.

This is Epona.

Vaine is the man who took her from our ranch in Calatia.

My eyes burn. I feel like I'm going to be sick. How long as this man been following us? Been following _me? _He knows where I live- where I come from.

Vaine hoists me up and onto his lap as he mounts Epona and I can't help but wonder why she isn't bucking us off. This horse was never one to be controlled. Lynn and I could hardly manage her back on the ranch and yet, I've never seen her so calm. She allows him to mount her without hesitation.

I think back to a month ago, to the morning we had woken up to discover Epona's absence in the stables. At first, we had assumed she had fled. It wasn't exactly an unbelievable theory considering how wild she is, but it didn't make much sense. Then we had noticed the saddle and reins that were missing as well. We knew that she had been taken but we had been firm in our beliefs that she would return. She would never accept a strange rider.

Then why does she show such affection towards this ma as if she had known him since she was a foal?

Vaine holds me in an iron tight grip as he lets out a yell and spurs her forward. She responds with another whinny and we take off towards Hyrule Castle. I keep my eyes closed and focus on keeping down the burning acid that has taken up permanent residence in my throat. Anything to keep my mind off of Impa's slit throat.

I know when we have reached Castletown Market because I hear the screams and the startled gasps. I'm confused for a moment before I realize that I'm in the arms of one of two men that these people fear the most. And he's got another victim.

I swallow but keep my breathing slow and even as if I've been unconscious for days. Epona's hooves clomp on the stone pathways and before long I stop hearing the noises of frightened townspeople. I don't dare open my eyes in case there are others around- guards, Noire, the King himself. I will myself to pretend that I'm actually in bed, asleep at the ranch in Calatia. I'm having another dream that seems to be too real to be true and I'm going to wake up soon, feed Ellie and Finn, and help Lynn with the horses. Then I feel Epona's weight shift underneath me and I'm reminded that my nightmares have become reality. This time I don't get the luxury of waking up.

It feels as if hours have gone by before I hear Vaine speak again.

"Tell Damir I have the girl he wants," he says in a gruff voice.

"Yes sir," the reply of a guard, no doubt. I hear scuffling as if someone had hurried off then the scraping of metal against stone followed by a deep creaking noise. We begin to move again and no more than a minute passes by before we come to another stop. Vaine abruptly begins to move and I feel myself falling but he quickly catches me with a firm grip. Before I know it, I'm unpleasantly being shuffled around again, my head resuming an upside-down position. The blood rushes to my face once again. It's dizzying.

I hear the echo of his footsteps against pavement that begin to grow louder as they start to bounce off of walls around us. We must be inside the castle. Distantly, I can hear the cracklings of fire accompanied by the occasional orange flicker that penetrates even my closed eyelids. Something begins manifest within my throat and slowly rises in a way where I'm unable to swallow. My heart accelerates. This feeling is familiar. It's panic.

I feel the air around me begin to transform and I realize that we must be descending. It's becoming harder to breathe.

"Open the door to the dungeons. Now."

"O-of course, Sir Vaine."

More scraping noises, metal on stone. It's damp and musty. I have the overwhelming urge to sneeze.

As he walks, I hear noises coming from all around me. Animal-like growls, whimpering, sobbing. Some even throw out profanities to which Vaine stops in his tracks and they instantly grow silent. We continue forward (or is it backward? I couldn't possibly tell) for quite some time before making another stop. I remain as limp as a doll. I hear the fumbling of keys and a gate swing open with a cringe-worthy squeal.

Then I'm abruptly thrown to the ground with a thud. My head hits something hard and I suppress the urge to cry out. If I had my eyes open I would undoubtedly be seeing double.

"Inform Damir that the girl remains in the dungeons until his _kingliness _wishes otherwise," I hear Vaine order with a slight hint of venom in his voice. There's more clanging followed by a pair of footsteps that echo off of the stone walls until all that is left is the crying and the growling.

I hesitantly open my eyes and let out a small gasp when I realize I'm staring back at Vaine's piercing blue gaze.

He hadn't left, it was only a guard. How could I be so stupid?

"I knew you were faking it all along. Not the best actress, I must say."

I begin to shakily push myself to my knees, all the while never breaking eye contact. My head pulses in a sickening rhythm.

"Not as good as your friend anyways," I watch as he inclines his head to the side and I follow his gaze. With a start, I let out another gasp.

There, through the adjoined cell and past the metal bars is Lynn. The whites of her wide eyes a sharp contrast with the grime on her skin.

Her normally shining scarlet hair is now mangled and matted with dirt. She sports bruises and small cuts on her cheeks and arms. I wonder how many of them I can't see from my perspective. Her pants and tunic are in grungy tatters and I can't help but be reminded of the homeless citizens of Castletown.

I glance back at Vaine with a renewed fury.

"What have you people done to her!?" I scream. My voice cracks from disuse.

He looks away from me, staring at Lynn.

"I don't know," he cocks his head to the side.

"It's not my story to tell. Now is it, Malon?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **I apologize for the long wait! With the holidays approaching and the ending of my first semester, things have gotten a little crazy. I spent an insane amount of hours on this chapter and it's my longest yet. So I hope that makes up for the amount of time it took to post it. Happy holidays! And as always, thank you for your support and reviews, it means so much!


	6. Chapter VI

**Chapter VI**

I only remember one year of my existence.

Only one.

So when I say that I feel like I've been lied to my entire life, it doesn't pack that much of a punch.

But for me it does.

In that one year I learned how to be a ranch hand, a horsewoman, an aunt, a friend.

A sister.

I stare back at the woman who taught me how to milk a cow with my bare hands despite my protests, who taught me how to comfort a crying child when they've scraped their knee, who taught me how to love even during the harshest of situations.

I stare at her and all I see is the dirt that is smeared on her face, in her hair, on her once white tunic. Once white and pure. Now I'm uncertain as to if it were actually white in the first place. Who's to say it wasn't grey? Blue? Or black?

Broderick once told me that in the dead of night when the moon was at its peak and even the crickets had grown silent, he sometimes would hear Lynn outside in the middle of the horse corral singing. He once even stepped outside his small shack on the far end of the farm to see her dressed in her nightgown, gazing up at the stars, in the middle of a melancholy lament. He watched until he grew tired and fell asleep on his doorstep. When he awoke, he had a blanket draped around his shoulders and Lynn was nowhere to be found.

That was the first time I wondered about the secrets that Lynn had kept locked away where no one could find them.

The second time was when I mentioned Hyrule in conversation during supper. At the time, I had only been living with them for a couple of months. I had heard Broderick and Lynn talking heatedly about it in the horse stables earlier that day. When I asked the question, I felt like a child who had innocently uttered a swear word. Lynn visibly stiffened at the name and when Finn interrupted to ask "what a Hyrule was" Lynn excused herself from the table and ushered the children to bed. I never mentioned Hyrule again after that.

That is, until the letter arrived. The day that we had left for the country in question.

Now, I stare back at this woman who managed to teach me how to live all over again after losing my memory.

And I don't know who she is anymore.

"Malon?"

She looks away, unable to meet my gaze. I stare, my eyes glaring daggers into her once beautiful red locks.

"Lynn. Who is Malon? What is he talking about?"

Vaine had left long ago. His absence making the accusation so much more real. Now it's only me and her, the one person I wanted to find my way back to. The one who I trusted the most amid all this chaos.

And she can't even look at me.

"Lynn!"

Her head snaps, tears fill her sparkling blue eyes.

"What? What do you want me to say?!"

She throws her arms up and her gaze turns wild, furious, "That I wanted this!? You think that I wanted to come back to Hyrule? To get… _captured?_" She looks around our cells at this word then shakes her head. "I left this nightmare seven years ago and I vowed to never come back."

She takes a deep, shuddering breath, "But here I am. Lured in like a child to a toy, unable to stay away. I was foolish. Of course their intention was never trade, I realized this the moment we set foot in Castletown. We had been trapped, exactly where they wanted us. I had come to this conclusion a moment too late.

"When I saw the faces on those people living in the dirty streets of Castletown, I knew what we were in for. The deep ingrained fear that they wore on their faces… I know where that look comes from," she meets my eyes again.

"It comes from the horror that they have witnessed, that they have _experienced. _I would know because I was once like them."

"Lynn—"

She holds up a shaking hand to stop me, "No. Let me finish."

"Hyrule. This is the dirt from which I was born. It _was_ peaceful here once. When King Nohansen died… everything changed. My father and I, then much later, Broderick as well, we lived on a small horse farm called Lon Lon Ranch just on the outskirts of Castletown," she pauses after seeing my questioning expression. "I purposely took a detour on our way here for that very reason. I didn't want to see it again— I couldn't." Her eyes begin to mist over and I slowly feel the anger inside me begin to subside.

"This was my home… I hadn't known anything different my entire life. It was so beautiful, the way the sun would set past the ranch walls and cast its orange light on the horses that galloped around the track…" she trails off for a moment and I almost reach a hand towards her through the metal bars but I can't bring myself to do it.

She meets my eyes once more, "Then the riots started, the pillaging, and the protests. Damir, as you may have guessed, inspires no love or loyalty, nor does care about anyone or anything other than his own personal greed. Immediately following King Nohansen's passing, he took up the throne as Hyrule's next ruling monarch and with his newly acquired power he turned this place into a land fit only for the dead. Monsters that existed purely in fairytale stories were no longer just the irrational fears of children. They were—they are—as real as you and me; more grotesque and hideous than you can imagine."

Memories of walking skeletons with rotting flesh in Castletown market come to mind and I shiver. No, I think I can, but I don't understand why I do.

"One night, my eighteenth birthday in fact," she smiles bitterly, "I awoke to the sounds of startled horses out my window. It was the dead of night, but when I opened my eyes I thought that the sun itself had crashed into the Earth. There were flames everywhere— burning the fields, the barns, the stables, and the house. They had just begun to creep under the door to my room when I had awakened, my head filled with smoke and my heart filled with dread, I began screaming for my father and Brody," Lynn takes a shaky breath.

"I thought I was going to die in that burning bedroom, I thought for certain… but fate had other plans for me that day.

"Monsters with pig-like faces and tusks that could parallel a sword had managed to crash through my second story window, they took me and shoved me out. I fell into the awaiting arms of an entire horde where they bound my legs and arms with rope and tied me up to a post in the center of the field. My eyes were blurred with smoke and debris but through the chaos I could see Brody, my father, and our family friend Mr. Ingo who lived on the ranch with us tied across from me as well.

"Brody… he was only twelve…" Lynn brings a dirty hand to her face to stifle a sob and looks away towards the filth-covered wall.

She continues with a faltering voice, "Those monsters— they call them Moblins, I stared as they killed Mr. Ingo with their spears in front of our eyes. They made us watch. A warning, no doubt. To display their authority and demonstrate the consequences of defying them. Of defying Damir, that damned tyrant.

"After they were done with him they moved on to us. One of the beasts made its way over to me and was so close that I could smell its putrid breath on my face. He seemed to be scrutinizing me then turned around to grunt at his friends. It seemed that I was the lucky winner that day— whatever they were looking for, it was me. I started screaming and thrashing about. I distantly could hear my father and Brody yelling at me to stop, but I didn't until I was struck in the face with a white-hot spear." She turns her head and pulls her hair back around her shoulder so I can make out a small discolored patch of skin below her ear.

"After that, things are hazy. I was in and out of consciousness. I remember them untying me, dragging me somewhere. Brody and father's screams. The flames licking at my body. Then it all stopped.

"Ahead of me was a figure, a green blur. The rest, I couldn't tell. I could hardly lift my head at that point. The Moblin that had been dragging me by my arm suddenly let go and I fell to the ground. I remember their pig-like screams… I'll never forget them. Then I lost consciousness.

"When I awoke, I was in the middle of the horse corral and for a moment I thought I had fallen asleep in the fields with the horses again. But as I came to I began to realize how eerily quiet the ranch was, I knew that was not the case. No horse whinnies, no cuccos clucking, silence. My father and Brody were hovering over me, their faces etched with grief and blood, some green some red. Brody looked older than twelve years young in that moment…" she trails off again but quickly regroups, "I asked them what happened and they informed me that a man garbed in green had killed the Moblin horde single handedly. They had never seen anything like it. They said he disappeared without a trace after cutting down their ropes, no explanations, no words of farewell, nothing.

"After that, we immediately salvaged any belongings we could find amongst the wreckage. The fires had long died out with the lives of the beasts who started them. All that was left of Lon Lon were the blackened structures of our home and stables and the foul-smelling bodies of the Moblins that were scattered amongst the grass like wildflowers in a field. As we gathered our few salvageable belongings, I heard a distant whinny and that's when I found Epona, caught beneath the crumbling walls of her stable. She was the only horse left. We took her with us and together we decided to set out for Calatia, a county that had not been tainted by war or monsters and it was Brody's birthplace," I watch as Lynn shakes her head sadly, "But we never made it past the Hylian border."

"Father walked alongside Epona, carrying some of the luggage. He couldn't fit atop her smaller form with me and Brody as well. I was worried but he had seemed to be fairing fine, we made it an entire day before we ran into a small group of soldiers on the outskirts of the forest. Those men… once noble knights of Hyrule under King Nohanson's hand, had been turned into callous and unjust minions of the new ruler. They stopped us under orders of the King— any travelers were to be seized and brought to Castletown before Damir himself." She stops and grows quiet, staring down at her filthy hands. I can hear the low growls and mumblings of incoherent profanities echoing throughout the dungeon hall, some human… some not so human.

"There were only four of them, but it was enough to apprehend us. Father knew this, he was no warrior, but he had the stubbornness of one. He gave me a sorrowful look and I knew. I knew what he was going to do. Before the men rounded on him, he smacked Epona on the rear and with a frightened whinny, she bolted. I remember trying to leap off, trying to reach father, but Brody held me back. I screamed for him and watched as the soldiers took him down." Tears pour freely down her face now, any defenses that she had built were shattered.

"That was the last time I saw my father. I don't know what happened to him or if he's even…" she's cut off by a violent sob in her throat and hunches over, wrapping her arms around her stomach. This time I do reach my hand through the narrow bars and I allow myself to touch her shoulder. It seems to quell her, if only for a moment.

"It was just Broderick and I after that… we lived under trees, in caves… if we were lucky sometimes townspeople would extend their home to us for a night. We were homeless and we were hungry. I ceased all thoughts relating to Hyrule or my father, I knew that I would never see him again and it only made things worse to dwell upon it.

"It wasn't until the beginnings of winter that we found the abandoned ranch in Calatia. It had been destroyed with age and rendered inhabitable, but Broderick and I, we made our home there. Day by day we rebuilt the broken structures and using Epona's unparalleled speed, we began to earn a living through horse racing. Slowly, we acquired more livestock and horses over the years. We made something of ourselves and that's where Lynn was born. Malon was a vagabond whose home was destroyed and everything that she had held dear was stolen from her— she was a broken woman. But Lynn was strong, she was capable of building a happy and healthy life for herself and those that she cared about. It wasn't easy but soon memories of Hyrule and father stopped plaguing my dreams at night. I was happy again, almost as happy as I had been at Lon Lon. Broderick would frequently make trips to the capitol of Calatia or neighboring countries to negotiate trade and other business matters that would last weeks at a time. During one of his absences in the following year is when I met Ellie and Finnick's father. When they were born I prayed to the Goddesses that they would have his Calatian ears— my heart had filled with dread when I realized they had been cursed with my pointed ones instead.

"They will forever be tainted with my Hylian blood," she says fiercely and grimaces.

"Their father disappeared one night soon after their birth, we were never even wed, though we had plans. I've come to think that it became too much for him, he was a man of the sword, not domestic farm life. He and Broderick never fared well together anyways. He always tells me that I deserved better and it was probably for the best that he vanished like he did."

She takes a deep breath and meets my gaze once more, "And now you know."

"My name is Malon and I come from Lon Lon Ranch of Hyrule. Why they tricked me into coming back, I don't know. But I do know they are looking for someone— someone of Hylian descent, and nothing will stand in Damir's way to find them."

We both remain quiet for what feels like an eternity. I don't know what to feel. The woman that I depended on the most had lived an entirely different life than what she had lead me to believe. I trusted her with my life.

And her name wasn't even Lynn.

I close my eyes. I can't help but feel sympathetic towards her, the life that she was forced to endure was _terrible. _I can't even begin to imagine what it had been like to live that way. I understand why she lied and hid these things from me, however, it doesn't make it hurt any less.

When I open my eyes again, I'm not staring back at Lynn. I'm staring back at a woman that was kidnapped from her bedroom and forced to watch a man's murder in front of her eyes. I see a woman who had to grow up entirely too fast. I see a woman who has been broken for some time.

"M-Malon," I start, the name foreign on my tongue. She looks up at me, her eyes wide and she begins to shake her head.

"No. Don't call me that, it's not—"

"It's your name, is it not? It's about time I start calling you by your real one."

She turns away ashamed and saddened. Her dirty veil of red hair hides her face from sight.

"It doesn't have to be a bad thing," I say and she tilts her head slightly, meeting my eyes once more with a questioning stare.

"Your real name, I mean. You said that you associate it with a different part of yourself—someone who was broken. Malon doesn't have to be broken anymore, because you are also Lynn and I know that she would kick anyone's sorry rear who would tell her otherwise." I give her a small smirk and she returns it with a half-smile that doesn't quite reach her eyes.

"I'm sorry for everything that I've put you through," she says quietly, staring at the grime-covered stone floor.

I reach through the bars once more and cover her hand with my own.

"Don't apologize."

For the first time since I had been reunited with Lynn—no, with Malon—her eyes light up just enough to mask the dirt on her face and for a moment and she seems truly happy. I reply with a small smile and she in turn squeezes my hand.

I jump at the sound of footsteps in the hall and instinctively pull back, breaking our touch and shattering the fleeting moment of peace. Malon does the same and she unconsciously attempts to make herself look smaller by turning into herself, a habit that must have formed from her imprisonment here. The thought makes my blood boil.

I sit up straight but remain on the ground as the footsteps echo closer and I continue to keep my chin high as four figures come into view. I don't recognize them, they are dressed in full armor completely with cream-colored capes and helms. They must be higher-ranking soldiers, perhaps in direct correlation with the King. A cold sweat breaks out on my neck.

Two stop at the door to my cell and begin to unlock it while the other pair do the same to Malon's. I exchange a furtive and confused glance with her but all I see is my mirrored expression on her fearful face. I watch as one of the soldiers enters her cell and yanks her to her feet, she stumbles and cries out. At the same time, I feel a hand grip my forearm.

My eyes turn wild, "Where are you taking us!? Let us go!"

He tightens his grip and yanks harder. I throw my weigh to the side and just manage to twist out of his grasp before throwing my arm back and catching him in his face but it only rebounds off of helm and I let out a hiss of pain and clutch my hand. He instantly rounds on me with a renewed fury and uses the back of his metal encased hand to strike me across the side of my face. The blow combined with the hard metal sends me reeling backwards and I slam into the stone wall with a cry. I slowly sink down to my feet, cradling my temple. I can feel the hot blood trickling down the length of my jaw and I'm reminded of when Noire cut me with his dagger. This hurts far worse.

At once, both soldiers seize me by my arms and drag me out of the cell until I'm able to remember how to work my legs again. Ahead of me, Lynn had been detained without retaliation and instead walks with her hands chained behind her back. She attempts to turn around to look at me in concern but one of her guards shoves her forwards and she continues to walk with her head bowed. I feel the anger that drove to me to lash out return with a burning need to hit one of them again. The throbbing of my head suddenly seems to amplify at the thought as if to warn me of the consequences and I force the vengeful desire back down like rising bile.

I groan, my vision begins to blur with the pain and I vaguely notice the cackling of inmates on either side of me as I'm forced forward through the dank and obscure hallways. I hear chains and banging metal against metal, threatening voices, and loud screeches. The noises make me grind my teeth and I close my eyes, willing it all to disappear.

Visions that I don't remember ever seeing before flood my head instead, noises that I don't recall ever hearing fill my ears and I nearly crumple to the ground if it weren't for the guards holding me up. Harrowing moans and ghostly screams that are even more twisted and haunting than the yells of the inmates overwhelm my senses. I'm in a cavern that seems to be darker than the castle dungeons and I can just make out the flickering of a small flame ahead of me. A shadow passes over the yellow light and my breath catches in my throat. More moaning. Shrieking. _Calls of the dead, _the explanation comes to me comes to me in a hurried breath. _Hyrule's bloody history of greed and hatred_, it hisses. I suddenly feel cold—_very _cold. As if something had drained the life right out of me and my blood no longer provides its essential warmth. Feelings of hopelessness, utter terror, desperation… they overwhelm my very being. I claw for the light but the flame has long since been extinguished, all that remains are the haunting shadows that moan in my ears.

I blink. My ankles are being drug along the floor again and I quickly try to grasp my footing once more before my legs break completely. The eerie wails are replaced with the rattling of cage doors and I know that I'm back to reality, although, I'm not sure which scenario I'd prefer at this point. I wish I knew why I keep seeing these things. Vivid like memories, but I have no recollection of them. Are they trying to tell me something? I look around at the rusted cages. No. These men are all alive, what I saw was certainly not something pertaining to the land of the living.

I turn my head to see Malon and the two guards that flank her sides make a pivot at the end of the hall down a well-lit corridor. A part of me swells at the idea of leaving these death-ridden dungeon chambers behind but another part of me has trouble breathing because if this isn't the worst this castle has to offer, then I don't want to know what is. I attempt to swallow but my throat comes up dry and I begin to wonder about the last time I tasted water.

We make a sharp right at the hallway and I'm tugged ungracefully along as if I don't know how to turn a corner. Malon comes into view again and she remains as still and obedient as ever, always trying to avoid causing conflict. My gaze hardens. She doesn't deserve to be in a place such as this.

A large stone staircase stretches ahead of us and continues in a spiral towards the sky, I can't even tell where it ends. We begin the ascent and before long I am nearly out of breath no thanks to my already fatigued state.

"Quit your wheezing or I'll shut you up myself," the guard on my right shoves me forward and I'm nearly sent tumbling over the edge. I sneak a glance below us only to feel my stomach plummet at the realization of just how high we have climbed. Swallowing, I attempt to straighten myself and mimic Malon's posture just ahead of us, it seems to be doing her good anyways.

After what seems like hours, we finally reach a pair of large wooden doors that could quite possibly fit a giant through them. We're not at the top of the staircase but it's significantly higher than the dungeons. Another glance over the side proves this theory, I quickly turn away.

One of Malon's guards releases her arm and throws his shoulder against a wooden door that resounds with a loud echoing creak. I frown to myself, they probably trusted for her to remain still, that's why it wasn't one of _my _guards that was jumping at the opportunity to leave my side. I turn to one of them and give him a nasty look. He doesn't even notice. I'm shoved forward again as we follow Malon and company into the cavernous room on the other side.

This part of the castle is a far cry from what I've seen so far— large ornate stained glass windows line each wall that refract different hues of light onto the marbled floor. Elaborate stone pillars are evenly spaced in between each window and designate the center isle that leads to a set of stairs, atop them is a large and extravagant throne where a man donning a bejeweled crown sits in monotonous leisure. He wears velvet-like robes in deep violet dyes, on his chest is the symbol of the three golden triangles. _The Triforce_, my mind answers unconsciously.

"Y-your Grace, I apologize, I had no idea that—"

My eyes are drawn to a pitiful-looking man in the center of the great chamber who seems to be trembling in fear, his head bowed.

"Silence!"

The man on the throne shifts his weight, folding his leg atop the other and uses one hand to hold it there while his other elbow rests on the arm of the chair. He uses his index finger to hold his head up, as though he is bored enough to fall asleep otherwise.

"You make a direct mockery of my guard with your trivial jokes then attempt to invalidate my authority by stealing my goods and handing them out to the general public as if it were a bountiful feast."

The man on the floor holds up his hands in a dismissing fashion with wide eyes, "No-no, Your Grace, I was simply giving children my bread rations, I was not— I—"

"Tell me, did the children enjoy your stolen bread rations?"

"Yes, yes they— I mean, no, Your—"

"Well then, it seems that you have done them a great service," the man on throne gives a broad smile. I notice a glint in his eye that he doesn't bother to hide.

The man before him returns the gesture with a nervous smile of his own, unsure of how to react. "Y-yes Your Grace. T- thank you so much, Your Grace."

The smile abruptly falls from crowned man's face, "Cut off his hands."

Guards that line the perimeter of the throne step forward with long swords, their target's eyes go wide.

"Your Grace! Please! No, I beg you!"

The soldiers seize him and shove him off to the side where his screams are stifled and are heard only in short bursts.

"Let this be a warning that _I_ am the only one who does Hyrule services of kindness and just because I don't perform them does not mean I require someone to take up my place." He lets out an exasperated huff and let his head fall back onto his hand as if he just finished a hard day's work out in a field, not sentencing a man to have his appendages sliced off.

A blood curdling scream echoes throughout the room and a sickening wet spatter can be heard. Then another. Another scream.

"Clean up the mess when you are done over there," the man yells gruffly then shifts his gaze to a soldier on his left side. "Are there any others or am I finished for the day?"

The soldier in question nods his head in our direction off to the far side of the room and the crowned man's gaze follows. He eyes light up momentarily.

"Ah, yes. Bring them forth."

Malon is pulled forward reluctantly and I am forced to follow suit. We now stand in front of the throne, side by side, where the trembling man had stood moments ago before he lost his hands. I swallow.

"Lord Damir, we present to you the captured maidens that you requested. We apologize for the delay, as this one ran off to Kakariko Village," the guard to my left bows down to one knee, his right fist clutched at his heart.

"I see. I could fathom how displeased Lady Impa must have been at your intrusion," Damir raises an eyebrow, for once lifting his head out of his hand. Good. I'm glad I could somewhat disturb his peaceful lethargy.

"Lady Impa has met the blade of a knife. She proves to no longer be an obstacle." A rugged voice echoes throughout the cavernous room. I look around, attempting to find its user. The King seems to be the only person who isn't fazed by the mysterious words. Then suddenly, a shadow emerges from the darkness behind the throne and the man steps forth, the dark cloak pulled over his face once more.

"Hello, Vaine. What a pleasant surprise."

Vaine folds his arms across his chest and assumes a spot next to the right side of the throne, his eyes find my own.

Damir raises a hand to his mouth, his index finger absent-mindedly touching his bottom lip in thought then quickly jerks his head up, his face brightening.

"Well, that is just excellent news!" He smiles with an excited clap. "Not only did you capture the girl that I requested but you've opened up a new realm of possibilities as well. Kakariko, the last resistant village will finally be ours for the taking." He turns his gaze to the man at his right hand who does not return it, "You never cease to amaze me, Vaine. I shall see to it that you be rewarded handsomely at the next convenient opportunity."

Vaine remains still as ever, his eyes locked on my own. "I do not have any desire for your wealth."

The King's smile tightens, "Very well. Perhaps a new set of weaponry crafted by our finest blacksmith."

Vaine lets out a grunt, obviously not keen on the idea but more than likely attempting to get him to move on.

"It has been settled. Now, on to my fair maidens," his gaze turns to us, eyes scourging every inch of our ragged bodies as if we were objects to be sold at auction. "Which one was it you said that possessed the interesting aura of power?"

Just for a fraction of a second I'm almost certain I see Vaine's half-hidden face flicker with emotion before he responds as apathetic as ever, "The Calatian girl. Brown hair."

I watch as Damir's eyes rest solely on me, a wild glint in them. "What's this?" He dark eyes widen slightly. "A Shiekah?" He turns to Vaine who shakes his head subtly.

"No. I don't believe so. One of Impa's mind games. This one does not possess the skill of a Shiekan warrior."

"Ah, I see. Interesting indeed. I was not expecting a Calatian ranch hand dressed in Shiekan garb, but perhaps it is the most unlikely of candidates that is the winner, no?"

I feel Malon's tension radiating next to me at his words, she knows something. She's still hiding secrets.

Damir rubs a bejeweled hand over his chin, his eyes still scrutinizing me.

"What is it that you plan to do with the girl?" My eyes snap to Vaine who is now looking at the King. I have never heard him ask a question before, let alone to this man that he doesn't seem to have much respect for in the first place.

"Excellent question indeed, my dear Vaine."

I feel like I'm going to burst. The anticipation combined with his roaming eyes is beginning to drive me to the brink of insanity. I sneak a glance at Malon who seems to have gone rigid, I'm unsure if she is still even breathing. I desperately begin to look for an escape route, I am chained at both arms by strong hands, dozens more of similar guards line not only the throne but the walls as well. They look almost like statues, swords at the ready. I'm trapped. I feel beads of sweat beginning to line my brow and the air grows thin. I hear my heart pounding in my ears and everything starts to go numb just like back in Kakariko when I watch Vaine and Impa fight to the death. Impa. I wish she were here now. She's dead. So is Malon. So am I. A dull ringing in my ears takes over my senses and I nearly succumb to it until the silence is shattered like a ripple in a pond.

"Take the Calatian girl to the torture chambers. Kill the other one."

I no longer feel the beating of my heart.


	7. Chapter VII

**Chapter VII**

"NO! STOP!"

I'm thrashing wildly, blinded by emotion. I see them pulling her beautiful crimson hair and she lets out a whimper. I try to pull away but they counter back with double the force and I feel a blow to the already tender side of my head. I buckle. Everything is blurred and my body has gone numb— I no longer feel the pain. I look around frantically, attempting to see through my distorted vision. I can't find her. I can't see her. My eyes land on a pair of cold blue ones in the distance.

"STOP THEM! MAKE THEM STOP! I KNOW YOU CAN STOP THEM!"

I'm thrashing again and I feel a hand on my arm give a sharp twist and I cry out.

"Subdue her!" a voice commands. I scream in protest, an animalistic noise erupts from my throat.

"LYNN!"

I manage to loosen one of my arms and I immediately use it to assault whoever it is that is holding onto my other one. I gasp as it strikes hard metal but it doesn't stop me, the pain doesn't interfere. I bring up a leg and connect with something solid, I hear someone let out a groan.

"Subdue her NOW!"

I feel more hands grab at me, my arms, my legs, my head. They shove it down towards the ground but I throw my weight back and I'm momentarily free. I let another scream pass through my lips and I feel a warm sensation beginning to materialize in my hands and extending towards my fingertips. I let a smile grace my lips. They have no idea what they're in for.

"Vaine! Get over there!" A booming voice yells.

I see bright glints of metal, streaks of red and cream. Three triangles. My vision is slowly coming back into focus. Angry and strained faces come into view. I feel another blow to the face but it doesn't keep me down. I stumble forward but I lash back with a renewed fury. I manage to catch someone in the knee with the heel of my foot and I hear him cry out. I smile again, the warmth is starting to become an intense burn. I snap my head up, ready to unleash this raw power that has mysterious manifested once more and for the first time I hesitate.

"Release her."

The hands remain secured onto my skin. I feel another blow, this time to my stomach. I stumble and gag.

"I SAID RELEASE HER!"

Hesitantly, a pair of hands let go of my wrist. Then another.

"Y-yes, Sir Vaine."

Another. And another. I begin to sink towards the floor without the extra support holding me up, but someone reaches out and catches me by my shoulders. I blink. I'm staring back into the depths of eyes that remind me of blue sky, of an endless ocean. My finger tips are on fire. All I would have to do is release it…

The man stares at me and slowly his face comes into focus— the world is no longer swaying. His lips remain taut and pursed into a thin line as if he's contemplating on what to do next.

In a voice so quiet that only I can hear he whispers, "Do not display your power. Not here."

I blink again. I heard him speak, but I didn't see his lips move. Nobody around could even tell that he was talking.

My face hardens. Who is he to be giving me orders? This man that _brought _me here. This man that ordered Impa's death. The right hand man of the tyrant King. I grit my teeth.

"Try and stop me," I spit back.

Then I let the warmth take over.

We're both engulfed in a bright light and I'm blinded once more. I hear screams, panicked yells and names being called. I hear my own shrieks that are being ripped from my throat seemingly of their own accord. Images pass through my mind's eye at an extraordinary speed. It's identical to the time in Castletown Market when I first encountered Vaine. But this is slightly different. I feel as if I'm actually in the moment. I am feeling emotions that aren't my own, thoughts that I did not conjure, and smells that I have never experienced.

One specific scene is more dominant than the others, forcing its way to the front of my mind and overriding everything else. When the bright light finally subsides, I'm standing in front of an alter that houses three celestial-looking jewels. I'm clutching a small blue instrument in a pair of pink gloved hands to my chest and my grip tightens when I hear the sound of footsteps approaching behind me.

"You're leaving so soon," I say simply, although there is a tinge of sadness hidden in my voice. It doesn't sound like me, it's more whimsical and delicate than anything I could pull off. It's beautiful and childish like the tinkling of bells.

There's hesitation, "I… yes, I am." The voice echoes behind me, boyish sounding but stern and confident. Not the voice of a child even though it may sound like it.

I take a small breath and slowly turn around, my long dress catches along my ankle. The boy in front of me is young but he wears a face of a warrior— hardened and callous. However, it softens at my melancholy expression and I take a step forward. He wears a green tunic complete with a hood on his head and a sword on his back. _A warrior. _The title repeats in my mind even though I'm staring at a child.

I give the boy a sad smile, "I knew it would only be a matter of time."

He looks away solemnly and I feel a pang of guilt for making this harder on him than it has to be. I shift the instrument into one of my hands and reach out to him with my other, resting it on his forearm. He returns my gaze at the touch. I look into his eyes that remind me of the sky on a clear summer's day and I know that I've seen them before. I've seen them in my dreams, running through a field, teaching me how to shoot a bow and arrow, fighting for his life. I'm overwhelmed with déjà vu and my eyes brim with tears.

"It's okay… don't be sad. I'll… I'll never forget our time together here in Hyrule," I say even though I'm on the verge of crying.

The boy nods reluctantly then suddenly pulls me forward by my hand, I crash into his chest and he wraps his arms around me in a tight embrace. After the initial shock wears off, I close my eyes and let the tears fall onto his tunic. He hugs me tighter and it only causes the sobs to grow with intensity.

"We'll see each other again, I promise," he reassures me, his voice cracking with emotion. Even though we are only children, our behavior makes it seem as though we are much older— witnessed and experienced things no child ever has. I hiccup and nod, unwilling to let go.

We stay like this for quite a while but it still leaves me feeling cold and alone when he pulls back. He rests a small child-like hand on my cheek and thumbs away a remaining tear. I try to smile but my uneven breathing makes it seem more like a grimace. I feel so foolish.

"I… I wanted to play you a song before you left on your journey. A song that always reminds me of us." The boy nods with a smile and takes a step back. I bring the cool blue instrument to my lips and close my eyes. The first few notes begin to trickle out of the small hollow holes and echo throughout the cavernous temple we stand in. I play the song as if I had performed it a million times over, more than twelve years would allow. As I reach the crescendo I notice a second instrument harmonizing in the background and I crack an eye to see the boy has pulled out an identical object, playing just as well as I. Together we fill the room with a magical lament and in that moment, the ticking seconds until we depart seem to be at a loss— completely stopping as if the goddess of time herself were listening in.

After we finish, I drop the instrument from my lips and allow it to rest at my side.

"When we play that song, I always forget how cruel the passage of time can be," I say, alluding to something that I can't quite remember.

"Yeah, I know what you mean," he says quietly as he stuffs the cream instrument back in his pouch.

I sniff and wrap my arms around myself, gazing beyond him and at a stained glass window high above in the rafters. I sense his proximity before I see it and I feel his hands rest on both sides of my jaw. My breath catches as he leans forward on the tips of his toes and presses his lips to my cheek.

"You'll always be my girl," he whispers then pulls back and turns on his heel. He walks back down the center isle until he disappears through the shadowed entrance. I stand there at the small alter with my arms wrapped around my torso, attempting to hold myself together as I crumple to the floor in a sobbing heap.

The scene before me begins to fade and when I open my eyes again I'm no longer gaping at the red carpet in front of my pink dress, tears pouring down my cheeks.

No.

I look up and instead, Vaine is staring back at me with a dazed look on his face and is panting excessively. I glance down at my hand and see that they are still bandaged in the Shiekan garb that Impa had given me. I'm back to reality. My stomach drops. That means…

Vaine winces as he attempts to scramble back to his feet but he stumbles and catches himself on his knees. He seems to be injured, his dark tabard is singed away in some places and I can make out spots of welting flesh that contrast with the dark material. We're both somehow on the ground and dozens of soldiers stand around us paralyzed with shock.

"Don't just stand there! Help him up! Get the girl!"

I look over my shoulder to see the king perched above his throne. He seems tempted to walk down the stone steps and make his way over to us but he remains frozen to where he stands.

My gaze is torn away when I feel the imprisoning shackles of hands seize my arms once more, this time however, I don't have the strength to fight back. I hardly have the strength to keep my eyes open. I stumble to my feet against my will and the hands drag me backwards through the main door. My eyes fall on Vaine who shakily stands to his feet, a pair of soldiers attempt to help him up but he shrugs them off with vehemence. His own blue eyes find my own and they widen for a split second before they narrow in irritation. I swallow and allow the darkness to envelope me as I'm carried through the doorway but my gaze never leaves his until the wooden doors slam shut in front of me, taking the sunlight with it.

I faintly notice the flickers of torches that line the stone walls as I'm dragged down the dim hallway, but I continue to stare at the closed wooden door in shock, in a daze, I'm not certain. There's too much. Too much happening. I can't handle it anymore. The convoluted visions that don't add up, the ruthlessness, the unfairness of it all, and the death of those close to me that I can't seem to stop— only aid in their undoing. Malon. Where is she now? Is she laying on a stone-cold chamber floor, her blood spilling from her neck until it merges with her hair and you can't be sure of where it starts and where it stops? Or is she awaiting a beheading in the gallows? A rope around her neck? My mouth goes dry and I try to swallow but it feels as though there is wool in my throat and I'm going to gag. The visions take turns, haunting me with Malon's last echoing scream or pained expression, over and over. I want to yell for them to stop but I can't. I close my eyes and I try to forget why this was all my fault.

We make a sharp turn and my boot hits the corner of the wall, my instinct tells me to let out a hiss and grab my throbbing leg but I can't seem to feel the need to do so. I allow myself to be limply dragged further down the corridor and a flight of stairs before I hear the unlocking of a metal door and I'm abruptly tossed inside a small room like a rag doll. I roll to my side, not bothering to fight the momentum and my cheek scraps along something sharp. More pain. More drops of blood.

I hear the jingling of keys and the metallic clang of the lock, then footsteps that echo until they're nothing but a distant tick of a timepiece. I don't attempt to shift my gaze to watch them retreat, to beg to be freed, to fight for my life. I instead I watch a small obsidian beetle crawl along the grout of the dirty stone, attempting to find a hole to burrow into. I watch it until it leaves my peripheral vision and I don't bother to move my head to follow it any longer. The only source of light in the room comes from a small torch on the far wall. It leaves shadows across the floor that look like fingers trying to grab my arm. Too much energy. I blink, unseeing.

A boy clothed in green appears in my mind's eye. He plays the flute-like instrument and I'm reminded of the beautiful melody that filled the divine temple, the sunlight shining through the stained glass windows, giving everything an iridescent glow. I allow my eyes to close, wanting the lament to envelope my senses and leave nothing behind. I desperately try to cling to the song as if it is my reprieve but when the hand next to my face twitches and I come to the realization of what's under me, my blood goes cold. Dread begins to consume me instead, blocking out the heavenly music and replacing it with a heavy feeling in my stomach as if I had swallowed a brick. I feel the burn in my throat and I weakly lift my suddenly heavy body to retch through the iron grate that's meant for the spilling of my blood.

Once the heaving stops, I groan and sluggishly attempt to sit upright but I end up slumped against the wall where I had watched the beetle makes its way through the endless maze of stone. I feebly try to scan the room from my collapsed position but once I do I instantly wish I had kept my eyes closed instead. As if I thought the grate beneath me wasn't bad enough, I want to cry at the sight of chains that hang from the ceiling above it, just high enough so that a prisoner wouldn't be able to touch the ground.

I swallow to prevent myself from vomiting a second time and I taste the bitter acid that's still lingering in my mouth. Is this real? Is this actually happening to me? Awaiting certain death in the most horrific of ways. It was just less than a week ago that I had been asleep in my warm bed, Lynn just down the hall. My only worries consisted of making breakfast for the children and caring for the livestock on the farm. Now I'm living in a world where Lynn is called Malon and starvation, torture, and death are all commonalities. I don't like this world. It's cold and it's harsh. I want to go home.

A single tear slides down my cheek but I'm too numb to feel it. I stare at the rusted chains that hang from the ceiling instead and attempt to picture myself dangling from them, blood dripping down my arms, cascading down to my feet then washed away through the grate below. Nice and tidy. Don't want any messes to clean up after. Wouldn't that be a hassle.

I hear the distant pounding of footsteps echoing from outside the door and my breathing hitches. How long had I been in here? Is it really time for this already? It must have been hours but it seems like it was just mere minutes.

I try to picture the person that is going to be spilling my blood and literally draining the life out of me but a multitude of figures come to mind. Is it going to be a lackey soldier? One of the right hand men of the king? Vaine, with his cold blue stare that looks so much like the boy in my visions? Or would it be the sadistic Noire who would most likely take immense pleasure at the sight of my insides being turned out? Noire. Had he not yet returned from Kakariko? Maybe I don't have to worry about it being him, my heart jumps a little at the thought and I want to laugh at myself. This is what I've been reduced to. The only hope I have is the lesser of two evils when it comes to the man who will execute my most certain death.

The footfalls stop and I hear the rattling of keys and then the rusted door opens with a clang. The man before me is no ordinary soldier, nor is he Vaine or even Noire. Even though I had only just seen him for the first time today, I'd recognize that crazed glint in his eyes anywhere.

It is the King of Hyrule himself that will be shedding my blood on this stone floor.

I watch as his long violet robe nearly catches on the floor as he enters the room, the jewels on his crown glinting off of the faint firelight. He gives me a fleeting look, seemingly pleased with my posture and the evident lack of strength then shrugs off the cloak to give to a soldier behind him that I hadn't noticed before. The king waves a dismissing hand and the guard nods, turning around and closing the door behind him. I swallow, watching the king's every move.

He bends over to pick up an upturned wooden chain from the corner and proceeds to sit down, his elbows on his knees and his hands coming together just under his chin. He looks as though he were being told an engrossing story that required every ounce of his attention, except this attention is directed at me. I don't like the way his eyes make me feel as though I need more clothing to cover myself. I inwardly curse myself for not having the scarf pulled up higher around my mouth but something tells me it would be completely futile anyways.

"You don't have to look so pitifully frightened, little _Shiekah. _I only wish to talk," Damir cocks his head to the side, absent-mindedly playing with a ruby ring on his finger.

I continue to stare with as much hatred as I can muster but I'm afraid it only comes off as a grimace.

His lips pull up in the corners, revealing a toothy smirk, "Oh, come now. Don't be that way. I just require a few simple answers to a few simple questions. This will only be as painful as you wish for it to be."

I purse my lips, tightening my resolve. I don't understand what kind of questions he could possibly have for me. I'm not even _from _Hyrule, let alone do I remember anything before last summer.

"You seem very confused. Allow me to enlighten you. The little _spectacle _that you put on back in the throne room— would you care to explain to me how a proletariat Calatian peasant such as yourself came to possess such power?" He blinks, the smirk falling from his face.

_Don't display your power. Not here._

Of course. Damir had been interested in the mysterious magic that I'm suddenly capable of from the very beginning.

_Which one was it you said that possessed the interesting aura of power?_

Impa and Vaine, when we were in Kakariko. Their expressions when I released the warmth from my fingertips for the first time.

Malon. She protected me back in Castletown Market.

_They raid the Castletown Market, in search of two Hylian maidens. This ritual has been going on ever since the new King rose to power._

He's been looking, searching, for years. For what? Magic?

A maiden with mystifying power?

_You fended off the one they call Vaine with a mere touch._

I look into Damir's unguarded eyes, betraying the lust that resides there when he stares at my limp and vulnerable form. He wrings his hands again, quite literally on the edge of his seat.

_Damir… he wanted you… or her… but why?_

My eyes widen.

_I sacrifice my life for the fate of Hyrule._

Impa. She knew. She figured it out.

But she figured it out entirely too late. I picture the shadow of the blade sliding across her throat and her limp body falling to the ground. Vaine made sure of that.

Then why? Why did he protect me earlier? And more importantly, why was I foolish enough not to heed his warning?

"What are you thinking, Calatian peasant? Come to a realization?" The condescending grin returns to his face and for the first time I notice how young this man looks. His black hair spirals down in glossed curls to his shoulders, his thick eyebrows pull together in a pleased understanding of just how perfectly his plan is finally coming together.

I want to ask a million questions. Why me? Being the first. I want to ask why I have this ability to shoot burning light from my hands, why I have these visions that don't make any sense, why I don't remember most of my life, where I come from, my real name, my parents. I want to ask who I am.

But I don't.

Even though I may be new to the abhorrent game for power that is being played here in Hyrule, I'm not stupid enough to allow myself to be used as a pawn, especially not by this man. This man who has destroyed so many lives, who has destroyed beauty and peace, happiness and futures. This man who ordered Malon's death.

No. I will not participate in his quest for absolute power.

Even if that means dying in the process. I don't have anything to lose, right?

Perks of amnesia. I inwardly grin to myself.

I muster up the strength to push away the fear that had shut down all of my other senses for so long and I flex my fingers, ridding myself of numbness. I begin to precariously push my way up along the wall and Damir's eyes watch me with growing fascination.

"The only realization that I've come to is that it's a pity nobody has tried to assassinate you long before now, _Damir. _You and your sickening quest for supremacy," I spit venomously. I suddenly feel the surge of anger that I had forsaken for the paralyzing fear that kept me safely locked inside my head. I've finally accepted that I no longer will feel safety ever again, clinging to such false notions will only lead to a pathetic death. I refuse to grant this man that kind of satisfaction.

The king narrows his eyes at my words, his hands flexed so taut that the whites of his knuckles are showing. Then to my surprise, the smirk returns until it reaches his dark eyes. It begins as a soft chuckle then transforms into a bellowing laughter that echoes off the dank and narrow walls. The little amount of energy that I have left begins to wane and it's becoming harder to not sink back down to the ground. I'm trembling. But my anger never subsides.

Suddenly, in one languid movement, the wooden chair is over turned and I'm pinned against the wall by my neck, gasping for air that won't come.

The veins Damir's forearm seem to nearly pop out as he uses it to crush my windpipe against the stone. His teeth are gritted together and his eyes, that I can now see are nearly black, are narrowed slits and they stare me down with such burning intensity that for a second I think that he's going to snap my neck right then and there.

Instead, he spits words into my face that leave his saliva splattered on my cheek, "Actually, you _Calatian filth, _someone has already attempted such a heroic deed— but they don't _live _to tell about it." He flexes his arm and I let out a strangled cry. My gaze wavers. Everything is beginning to dim around the edges and I'm certain that I'm going to black out until Damir lessens his grip just enough so I stay coherent.

"Remember when I told you this will only be as painful as you wish for it to be? Well you've just decided your fate," he snarls and then I drop to the floor in a wheezing heap. Every breath I take rattles my throat and my head, I use a hand to nurse my neck but it proves to be futile because I feel myself being drug by my long hair across the floor. I let out a raspy yelp.

"We're not going to have a repeat of what happened earlier. This time I'm taking extra precautions," Damir says in a dangerously low tone. He lifts me up by my arm, my head snapping back, and I feel something cold and hard clamp down on my wrist. I let out a pained gasp after he lets go and I'm left hanging in the air by the single shackle, the metallic bracelet embedding itself in my skin. I immediately try to use my other hand to free myself but it's already in Damir's grasp and being pinned up in the adjacent chain. I feebly throw out a leg with as much strength as I can muster but given that I don't have any momentum and I'm about as weak as a child at this point, it only brings a triumphant smile to Damir's face.

"There. This look suits you better, don't you think?"

I stare at him with disgust, wanting nothing more than to slap the grin right off his mouth. So I do the only thing I can and I spit at him, saliva landing on his forehead. The smile vanishes. Yep, that'll do it.

The next thing I know, I'm seeing stars and reeling from the ebbing throb of pain that's shooting across my cheek bone and down to the side of my neck. My head hangs low as I fight to remain conscious, Damir's strike across my face should have been expected but I'm still careening from the shock as though it had come from left field.

"You're a feisty wench, aren't you?" He says as he takes a handkerchief from the breast pocket in his leather tunic and uses it to wipe his hand as if the contact with my face left it dirty and unclean.

"First my Hylian Guard, then Vaine, and now the King of Hyrule himself. You have no bounds, do you?" He says sourly, "But of course, that's to be expected from a filthy peasant such as yourself."

He turns around and begins to walk away with measured steps, "But then again, maybe you aren't the lowly farmhand that you want us all to believe."

When he turns back to face me, he has that dangerous gleam in his eye once more like I'm a valuable instrument that he finally has within his grasp and he can't wait to try out.

"No, perhaps not," he murmurs and I swallow hard as he unsheathes a knife from his belt. I didn't notice that before. He carefully makes his way over to me and gently rests a jewel laden hand on my cheek while he dances the knife on my other, reminding me of Noire back in Kakariko.

"Now then, are you going to be a dear and grant me your real name? Or will I be forced to _cut _it out of you?" At the word he puts pressure on the knife, digging it into my skin. I feel the now familiar drip of blood but I bite my tongue to keep myself from crying out. His breathing is deep and with each exhale I feel his hot breath on my face, I grimace and turn away.

Instantly, his other hand shoots out and clamps around my neck, forcing me to stare into his reddened and fuming face. I gag. "You will _look _at your king when he is talking to you!"

I desperately try claw at his hands but then I remember they're in chains. "You… are no king of mine… I am… Calatian filth… remember?" I wheeze out with much venom as I can muster in my choking state. Damir's eyes grow wide with fury and he throws my head to the side only to send it reeling back in the other direction with another back hand to my temple. I groan and let the blood dribble freely from my mouth.

"Your impudence is astounding. If you weren't the first maiden I've come across bearing evidence to what I search for, then I would have slit your throat long ago. However, if you continue to run that insolent mouth of yours then I'm afraid I will not have any patience left to spare." He takes a disgruntled breath and moves the knife to the side of my torso along my rib cage.

"Then again, you cannot speak if you're already screaming now can you?" I let out an agonizing howl as the knife slides down the length of my ribs, I feel every cut and pivot around each bone. More blood, more pain. My head hangs limp well after he removes the knife until I feel its cool blade begin to pierce the side of my neck. I instinctively jerk backwards and thrust out a leg but I don't feel anything but air. I look up to see Damir's hideous smirk as he reaches for the back of his belt.

"Enough games."

I watch with growing horror as he pulls out a long leather cord.

"You'd do well to start remembering the truth, because this is going to be a long night."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Wow, I'm on a roll here. Two chapters in one week? I'm spoiling you guys, hehe!

So things have definitely taken a turn for the worse here. I should have included a warning somewhere, but the T rating should suffice. I hope you all are enjoying the story so far, every review I read brings a smile to my face, thank you so much for your support! You all rock. I also wanted to mention that I added a little snippit in chapter 6 that was basically just Damir recognizing Reina's Shiekah uniform. Forgot to add that bit last time, whoops. Anywho, it's not a big deal so no worries if you decide not to read it.

Until next time!


	8. Chapter VIII

**Chapter VIII**

Sometimes when I would scatter the hay for the horses inside their stables I would think about how lucky I had been to be found by someone as kind as Lynn. Someone who took me under her wing without question, someone who gave me food, shelter, and clothes. Why was it that I had not been found by thieves, or bandits that roam the countryside at nightfall, or a wild animal that would have eaten me alive?

Out of all the places to wake up in, it had been Calatia. Just outside of Lynn's ranch in a field full of blossoming violet irises. The flowers of wisdom. I remember the way the clouds looked and the tiny birds that flew above them. I remember wishing that I could spread my wings and fly away just as they did, nothing more than a small animal soaring through a large cerulean sky. Such weightlessness. No obligations. No responsibilities. No heartache. I remember feeling something inside of me deflate at that thought as if I had lost something dear, but when I sat up in the endless expanse of grass I realized that I didn't have anything to lose to begin with. I couldn't even remember my name.

Reina.

That's what people came to know me as.

Or Rin for short, as Lynn and the children would like to call me. It was a simpler version of the word that rolled off of their tiny tongues a little easier.

Lynn and I came up with the name shortly after she took me in under her roof. She told me that it meant royalty, fit only for a queen. I attempted to disagree, I expressed that, "I'm no queen. I don't even know the name of the country in which we reside, let alone how to rule one." She only laughed in that hearty nonchalant way of hers and tossed her flaming red hair over her shoulder.

"If I ever got a do over in life, then _I_ would want to choose a name that made me feel like a queen. Besides, your real name is probably something hideous like Hilda," she told me and made a face as she did so. After that, I began to come around to the idea, no matter how unfitting it was. Then before long, it wasn't a foreign concept anymore. My name was Reina— and that's all there was to it. I gave up lying awake in bed at night, forcing myself to remember what people had called me before. I would think and think until it physically began to hurt, until I exhausted myself completely. It did no good, nothing would come to me no matter how hard I had tried.

Then the visions started.

First, I had assumed that they were ordinary dreams. Dreams that didn't make sense— they happen all the time to just about everyone. Then they began to assail me during my morning chores, while riding the horses, and eating supper. Every time I would excuse myself, passing them off as migraines but I never told anyone what I really saw.

Sometimes I witnessed destruction. Death and flames. Burning and ashes. Screams, blood, and pain, as vivid as a recent memory. And sometimes I would smell pink tulips, feel the warm sunlight on my skin and breathe the fresh air as if I were actually there.

However, no matter if the vision were dark or light, there always remained one constant.

There was a woman.

A woman with golden hair and bright eyes. She normally came to me as an adult, but sometimes as an adolescent youth and she always wore the same rose colored dress. Sometimes I would see her from afar, sometimes nearby, sometimes I would try to speak to her only to be answered with questionable silence.

And sometimes I _was_ her. I could feel it, in the way I moved, the way I spoke. Our bodies and voices were different, I could always tell them apart. She was gentle and quiet, soft and caring while I more verbose and clumsy. I saw her so often that I came to know her like a long lost friend. I felt what she would feel, her emotions and thoughts. Sometimes it was as though we were one. In the moment, it was like the most natural thing in the world.

And then I would be forced back to reality and it would come crashing down around me. I was going insane. That had to be the only explanation. I tried again and again to block the woman out, I would scream for her to let me be and when I thought I had finally rid of her, she would show me another heart-wrenching vision. Lynn took notice of my situation and even though I never disclosed what had been happening, she always worried for me.

Now I hang here in a dimly lit cell, entrapped by grimy stone and labored breathing and the only thing I pray for is the woman's bittersweet reprieve. I want her to take me away from this world so I stop feeling the dripping of blood down the side of my temple or the scorching pain of welts beginning to form around my abdomen. I want to stop thinking about Lynn— Malon, who is dead somewhere within these walls, her corpse awaiting an unceremonious disposal. I want to forget everything and leave it behind.

But she never comes, and I feel the hot sting of the leather whip on my bare skin instead. I forgot how to scream long ago, my voice has grown so hoarse that it is no longer audible. My face is covered in hot red liquid mixed with salty tears and hardened dirt and my vision begins to dim with my blood loss.

I'm dying and this bastard couldn't care less.

"I must say," I wince and let out a hiss as the cord kisses my skin once more, "you are beginning to tire me. Are you sure there's not anything you wish to speak about? Anything at all?"

I grit my teeth as more blood trickles into my mouth, I spit toward the voice but I cannot be sure if I've made my mark through my hazed vision.

"You incessant little wench, are you so foolish enough that you'd rather die than tell me your real name?"

I'm seeing dark spots and I know I won't hold out much longer. My head feels light and weightless like a bird soaring through a cloud. It feels nice.

"Answer me!"

More pain. More blood. I cry out.

"Who—," another whip, "—are you?!"

I'm sobbing again but I don't mean to, the reaction comes naturally and I can't stop it. The pain is unbearable, it's overwhelming. It fills my mouth with broken screams and my lungs with tainted oxygen. I am aware of every single nerve ending, hair follicle, and droplet of moisture on my body— and then it all disappears, replaced with a hollowing numbness.

Who am I?

Who am I really?

I am Reina.

I have dark auburn hair, rounded ears, brown eyes and I'm five foot four.

I'm from Calatia. Lynn and Broderick are my family. Finn and Ellie are like my own children. I take care of horses and break them in for racing and riding. I grow tomatoes in the gardens and use them to make stew for supper. I knit wool in my spare time, turning it over into warm blankets to fight the bitterness of an upcoming winter. I sing to myself when I'm alone.

"WHO ARE YOU!?"

Blinding pain and white light.

I have a bad habit of chewing on my lips when I'm anxious. I love working with animals. I hate the way my nose crinkles when I laugh.

I see myself in the mirror in my tiny bedroom. The glass is dirty and aged, tinged with yellow hues, but I can still make out my reflected tan complexion.

This is me.

I reach out my hand to touch another that is identical.

Yes, this is me.

I stare back into my russet eyes and I smile.

This has always been me.

_You are wrong._

My eyes shift. I'm no longer staring into pools of brown, but instead they are icy blue like forget-me-not petals on a cool spring day.

My hair grows longer and thinner, touching just beneath my bosom and the hue transforms from a dark cocoa to an elegant fairy-tale blonde. I touch my jaw as my chin becomes more pointed and my cheek bones begin to raise. I blink again and I am no longer looking back at a dark-haired Calatian woman.

I am staring at the reflection of a Hylian. The woman from my visions.

_Who are you?_

I… am Reina.

_Who are you?_

I…

"ANSWER ME, DAMMIT! TELL ME WHO YOU ARE!"

Damir's scream clouds my thoughts and chases away the woman in the mirror.

Pain. Suffocation. Death and disease. Carnage and smoke. I see it all again and again. A land in despair. No one to save it. The visions come to me in searing waves and I am screaming again. I feel alone. I feel hollow. There is nobody left. What have I done?

I'm so alone.

What have I done?

I'm looking down at gloved hands and a long, regal, coral-tinted dress.

A boy clothed in green.

I feel so sad when I look at him. The boy who walked away from me in the temple. Why won't he come back? I want him to return to me.

"TELL ME!"

_You know who you are._

No.

I'm picking flowers with the children out in the fields. I'm hugging Lynn. I'm laughing with Broderick. I see them over and over. I feel their closeness and their warmth. They are real. They _are. _I focus on the memories like they're the only thing I have left.

_No._

I'm Reina.

_No._

I'm… who?

The boy in green materializes, chasing away the memories I so desperately tried to cling to. He blinks and give me a melancholy smile. I watch as he unsheathes a sword with a violet hilt from the scabbard on his back and holds it up so the light catches off of the blade. It blinds me and I shield my eyes. When I open them again the boy is no longer a child, but a man hardened by the chaos of war. I see it in his tired eyes and the scars that line his face. He lowers the sword and gives me that sad look once more before turning on his heel and disappearing through the shadowy entrance.

No, I don't want him to leave me. Not again.

The dress catches on my foot. I'm falling.

There's pain. Burning. I have cuts and wounds down my arms and legs. How did these get here?

"TELL ME NOW!"

My eyes shoot open and I don't see the King of Hyrule in front of me. Instead I see the fair-haired woman, her eyes alight and eager. Awaiting me. I try to reach for her but the shackles binding my wrists hold me back.

"No, please!" I cry. She stares at me with such sadness that I feel my own heart shattering. "Please… help me!"

I'm crying and the king has stopped, stunned by my outburst. The woman begins to fade, her gaze turning away from my own.

_You are not yet ready._

"Not ready for what!?" I'm pulling against my chains, trying to get to her but she takes a step back, somberly shaking her head.

Damir's expression contorts in confusion and he turns around, expecting to find someone behind him. When he faces me once more with a renewed look of fury, I realize that he saw nothing there and I'm made to look the fool.

I watch in growing despair as the woman continues to shake her head and lifts a delicate finger to her rose tinted lips. Then she's gone, and I'm once again left alone with the man who will end my life. My eyes shift to his in fear and what I see there alarms me. His once angry expression has transformed into that of bewilderment.

But he's not staring at me.

No. He's transfixed on my right hand shackled high above my head. At that very moment I wince in sudden pain. It shoots from my palm and up the length of my arm. I attempt to see what is causing the sensation but I can't turn my head. It's different than the time I unleashed the light back in the throne room or Kakariko. No. I'm not the one causing this.

Then a frightening thought creeps into my mind: If I'm not the one, then who is?

"What in Farore's name…" Damir has made his way to my side and is hurriedly unlocking the chain on my wrist. If only I wasn't so weak, I would see this as my chance at escaping, but I'll most likely collapse to the ground if he unshackles me.

"No. This cannot be," He grips my wrist and stares at it in astonishment. I strain to catch a glimpse and my breath catches in my throat when I see the back of my bruised and dirty hand.

Three golden triangles glow with such intensity that it almost makes me squint my eyes because they are so accustomed to the darkness.

"I've finally found you," Damir whispers. I hear him make a sound that reminds me of a barking dog and I watch as it turns into a bellowing laughter, gradually and manically.

"This is where you've been hiding all along, inside the body of a Calatian peasant," He says through his cackling, his voice rising with the hysteria of giddiness. He turns my palm over in his hand and uses a thumb to stroke over the shining triangles. I cringe, not from the pain but from the disgust that I feel rising in my throat.

"I should have expected nothing less from the wielder of the Triforce of Wisdom."

I don't have time to react or to watch as he begins to unchain my other arm because the room erupts with a powerful explosion and all I see is chaos. Rock and debris fly from the wall that once housed the large metal door, then smoke fills my eyes and I'm coughing and falling. But before my head hits the ground and I lose consciousness, I see a tall figure approach me from the depths of the fog.

A figure that wears the symbol of a red eye with a single tear drop.

No. It couldn't be.

I hear yells and panicked screams from beyond the destruction. Rocks tumbling to the ground. Pounding on the stone.

"Impa…?" I choke out.

Then I succumb to the darkness.

* * *

><p>"What do you mean I can't see her!?"<p>

"If you would calm down and listen to me then you would know that she is in no state to be awake. I fear for her longevity, she's in a precarious state right now."

"I just want to see her! I need to know that she will be alright!"

"And you will, in due time."

Sobbing. It echoes like I'm under a lake of water and I'm drifting deeper, deeper…

"Reina…"

The water takes over and instead of the echoing voices I see flashes of more grisly devastation. Burning. Screams. Death. There's a bolt of lightning and I'm riding on a horse. I'm running away. I feel the adrenaline pumping through my veins and the cold sweat that runs down my spine, but the wind on my face promises me freedom. I turn around and spot a small green figure that contrasts with the burning flames and the growing darkness. With a cry I throw something small and blue towards the figure, the delicate object slips from my fingers and I watch just long enough to see it land in the depths of a nearby mote. The scene disappears and instead it's replaced with more flashing pain.

A market bustling with busy citizens. A royal white castle. An old temple. A sword in a pedestal. Three triangles, over and over. I try to scream but nothing comes out. I feel like I'm suffocating, I'm trapped and I can't escape. Death. Burning. Destruction. Death. Burning. Destruction. Pain.

Then there's a gloved hand on my wrist and everything stills. The pain ceases and it all grows quiet. I'm staring back into eyes I've seen so many times before, in my dreams and masked behind a cloak of darkness. The man gives me a sad smile.

"You must find me," he whispers fiercely.

I shake my head, not comprehending.

"There's not much time to explain. During the hour of the moon— you must find me. Do you understand?"

My eyebrows knit together in confusion. He wears a green hood and a matching green tunic like the color of an autumn meadow. I've seen him so many times… but where? I can't even remember who I am, how am I supposed to know where to find this man?

He begins to back away, his grip releasing my wrist but I lunge toward him in a panic and grab his arm.

"Please, who am I? I need to know!"

He stares at me sadly and cups a hand around my jaw, "I can help you, but you must find me."

His hand falls from my face and a wave of loneliness washes over me as I watch him disappear like the woman from my dreams.

I let out a grunt as a familiar tingling sensation suddenly begins to crawl up my right arm. I glance down at my hand only to see the three triangles glowing once more. They hum as if they are trying to speak to me.

_Awaken._

_You must awaken._

Awaken from what?

_Slumber._

The humming grows silent and I watch as the triangles begin to dim.

"No! Come back!"

I'm screaming at my hand. This is what I've been resorted to, I've become this desperate.

"Oh Reina, I'm so sorry. I dragged you into this mess. It's all my fault."

Wait, what? What mess? I tear my gaze away from my hand and begin to frantically look around the empty space that reminds me of some kind of limbo. The voice echoes all around me but it isn't coming from any particular direction.

"I should have never let you come with me."

The voice is crying, I can tell that much. It sounds so familiar, why can't I make sense of who it is? I begin to run in a direction, but it feels as though I'm getting nowhere.

"All my fault…"

It's all my fault…"

Forgive me, I should have told you… I should have told you the truth."

Lynn…? No, Malon. I try to picture her but the memories escape me. What's happening? Why can't I see her?

_Awaken._

_Awaken from slumber._

The ground beneath me gives way and I feel myself falling into nothing and my heart beating in my throat. Then it all stops.

* * *

><p>The first thing I see is green. Several trees, several leaves, it's raining. But I don't feel it, all I feel is warmth. And maybe a little itchy. I move my head and I'm staring up at a wooden ceiling. I'm inside a hut and I had been looking out of some kind of open doorway. I blink once. There are pots and storage compartments, trunks and other odds and ends. I blink twice. I can hear the chirping of birds that dare to endure the weather outside, and I hear shallow breathing. I turn my head a fraction and there next to me is a mess of scarlet hair. It's much cleaner than the last time I saw it.<p>

"Ma-lon…" I croak. Woah. How long had it been since I used my voice last?

She stirs, mumbling something in her half-sleeping state and then, as though realization at last dawned on her, she snaps her head up so fast I fear that she broke her neck. But when she throws her arms around me with a sudden yelp that sounds like my name, I begin to think she's going to kill me instead.

I let out a hiss of pain and she instantly retracts, shying away from me in apologetic embarrassment.

"Oh, I'm so sorry Reina! I forgot!" She brings up a hand to cover her mouth in alarm, eyes wide. I try to give her a reassuring smile but it probably comes off as a wince instead because she hurriedly stands up from her chair next to my bed.

"I'll go get Impa, don't uh… go anywhere," she begins to back away slowly as though she's afraid I'm going to get up and bolt any second.

"I wouldn't… count on it," I try to mutter but my voice cracks midway and the rest of my sentence becomes slurred. I watch as she quickly turns on her heel and through the open doorway into the rain.

Wait a second. Did she say _Impa_?

I attempt to count the seconds after she leaves but I quickly lose track and focus on the rain splattering on the tree tops instead. We must be on an elevation because I can't see the ground, however, I'm perfectly eye level with foliage outside. I so desperately want to throw these itchy blankets off of myself and run after Malon.

It can't be possible, what she said. I saw Impa die with my own two eyes.

And not only Impa, but Malon too. She was taken away in the throne room for execution. Damir's order echoes through my head and I shiver involuntarily. Am I dreaming?

This can't be happening.

When I try to push myself up into a sitting position I instantly regret it. A sharp pain shoots up from my wrist and the length of my shoulder. At this point I'm afraid to look in a mirror. I gently lay back down with another groan.

"I had a feeling you'd try something foolish as soon as you had awoken."

My eyes shift toward the voice and I turn to see two figures into the doorway.

"I wouldn't attempt to move if I were you."

One of the figures move closer and out of the directly light so I can see her better. My mouth drops open.

"I-Impa…?"

The woman smiles and I could swear it's the only time I've seen her do such a thing. I feel a tinge of sadness when I see that the other half of her mouth remains still and it creates a lopsided looking grimace instead. Her good eye looks me over once and she immediately is at my side and throwing back the blankets to reveal my very bandaged stomach.

"Malon, can you fetch me more dressing from the storage down below?"

I watch as Malon comes into view and gives a short nod, obviously hesitant to leave again but silently obeys and disappears once more.

I hiss as Impa peels back a heavily gauzed bandage across my abdomen to reveal a mass of torn skin, so bloody and gnarled that I feel slightly light-headed at the sight. If it weren't for the many stitches that seemed to be somewhat holding it all together I might have passed out… or vomited.

Actually, scratch that. I still might.

"You took quite the beating back there," she whispers as she begins to work with the now crimson-soaked material.

I want to tell her that I don't want to talk about that right now. I want to ask her why the hell she isn't dead or Malon for that matter, I want to cry with relief that they're not, and I want to ask her a thousand other questions about what exactly has been happening since I set foot in Hyrule. But all I can manage is a cry as she pours alcohol on a smaller laceration and I'm left biting my tongue from the searing pain.

"If I had been a moment later I'm afraid of what would have become of you," she states simply as she corks the bottle and sets it back on the floor.

By the time I allow my teeth a reprieve from stifling my screams, Malon enters the room slightly wet from the rain and holding a bundle of fresh wrappings in her arms.

"Ah, thank you," Impa takes the material from her and sets to work re-bandaging what's left of my stomach. I try not to look. However, it doesn't stop my entire body from going rigid or the gasp that crawls up my throat every time she touches me. The room grows silent and Malon makes her way over to a far wall, keeping her arms wrapped around her torso and her gaze glued to me as if I'll disappear into thin air if she doesn't. Impa continues to work with deft and practiced fingers until I no longer see red and everything is patched up nice and neat. I still feel the now dull and throbbing pain as she covers me back up with the itchy blankets, but it's much better than what it had been. Even though I'm suddenly exhausted from the ordeal, I still reach out to Impa as she begins to stand.

"Impa… how…?"

She takes my hand in her own and gentle lays it back down on the bed.

"Rest. No more talking," she takes a moment to tear her eyes away from me as if she's waiting for me to argue back. And I would have too, if my eyelids hadn't become so heavy all of a sudden.

"Come, Malon. Let her be for now."

I see her red head nod reluctantly and their shadowy forms begin to exit through the doorway before sleep takes over and all I hear are the distant calls of birds in the canopies.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **I apologize for the shorter chapter, I originally had this continued on for a few thousand more words but it was pretty lengthy in a tiresome sort of way, so I separated it into the next chapter. On the other hand, that means chapter 9 should be out relatively sooner than this one was. Yay!

Thank you all again for your continued support! Hope you all had wonderful holidays!


	9. Chapter IX

**Chapter IX**

When I awake a second time it feels like I've been asleep for another month. Groggily, I open my eyes and a wooden ceiling comes into view. It's dark so it takes a moment for my eyes to adjust. I distantly hear the soft croaking of a bull frog and the chirping of night bugs.

Wait. Night bugs? But it's almost winter.

I bring a hand to my face and groan. I have a pounding headache but when I move my limbs I'm not assailed by crippling pain, so that's pretty swell. At the thought of my wounds, I'm instantly reminded of Impa and Malon and I gasp. I need to find them.

With a start, I throw the wool blankets off of me and sit up, swinging my legs over the side of the bed. I wince slightly, I'm still pretty tender. I glance down at my stomach and pull up a navy blue tunic that isn't mine. The bandages look clean, that's a good sign. I let the tunic fall and carefully push myself into a standing position. I break out in a small sweat but I pretend that I'm perfectly fine and hobble across the small dim room towards the open doorway. It's dark outside but I can make out the outlines of the trees ahead and a ladder off to the side thanks to the full moon's light. Carefully, I shimmy down the side of the balcony and gasp when I feel a tug on one of my bandages and it sends a small ripple of pain shooting through my abdomen. I curse myself and land with a soft thud that leaves me reeling for a second. I really need to stop that.

Scanning my surroundings, I realize that I'm not in the thick of a forest like I had originally thought. It seems as though a large clearing had been made and within it is a small village complete with miniature huts just like the one I had been resting in. My mouth drops in awe and I make an entire circle, taking in the scenery around me. Tiny tree houses rest sturdily in thick branches, stick teepees litter the outskirts of the clearing and are partially hidden by the woods, while others seem to be carved out of tree trunks themselves and are scattered throughout the center of the meadow. Tribal-like designs are intricately painting along the sides of most of the make-shift houses. A small trickling stream runs through the middle of the village. I watch as tiny fireflies dance low above the twinkling creek and high in the burrows of the tree-tops. It's beautiful in a sacred sort of way. Who— or what —could have made this?

I begin to take cautious steps to the center of the village, gazing around as I do so. I hadn't noticed it at first, but the entire area seems to be void of life other than the night bugs echoing around me. What good is this magical little village if there's nobody to inhabit it?

"Hello?" I croak, my void harsh from disuse.

I start for a small tree-trunk home and carefully peer inside. It takes a moment for my eyes to adjust but when they do all I see is wooden furniture. Pots and stools, a table, and a makeshift bed off in the corner. I hurriedly make my way over to another home, and another, only to discover similar results. Empty and dark. These places haven't been lived in for quite some time.

"You won't find anyone here— not anymore."

I quickly turn on my heel at the voice and wince as I do so. I spot a tall figure with a long silver braid that drapes over her shoulder. Impa.

"I'm surprised to see you up and about without so much as a slight body ache, hm?" She makes her way closer to me and raises an eyebrow.

I mask another wince as I lean my back against the side of the hut, "Oh? Well, you know me. Full of surprises, you should be able to understand." I flash her a winning smile. She lets out a soft snort.

"How right you are." I watch as she waves her hand and turns back around, heading in the direction she had appeared from, "Come. Join me on a walk through the forest."

I push off of the tree and tag behind her before she slows down to match my noticeably slow speed. She folds her hands behind her back and keeps her gaze to the trees, seemingly pondering something as per usual. I continue to look around me in awe, I had never been in a forest before, not like this. Well, I hadn't in the year that I remember anyways. It's the only beautiful place I've seen in Hyrule thus far. The only place that hadn't been tainted.

We continue through the winding trees, passing by sleeping birds perched on tall branches and skittish foxes that are hunting for their next meal. The thought of becoming lost passes through my mind but is instantly quelled when I remember that Impa is with me. I can't picture her being lost anywhere to be honest. Now that I'm alone with her and not quite on the brink of death, I want to ask her my questions from earlier but something about her posture makes me stay silent. We must have been walking for nearly half an hour before I hear her speak.

"Do you know about the children of the forest?"

I glance up from my stupor and meet her pensive gaze. I shake my head, "No."

I watch as a small melancholy smile graces her lips and she continues to make her way forward past large tree roots and hanging bouts of ivy.

"Those tiny huts that you saw back there weren't always empty. They belonged to the forest children— the Kokiri. Children who never stepped a single grass-laden toe outside of these woods as they were unable to survive without its magic."

She must have noticed my expression from the corner of her eye, "Do not fret, the Kokiri had no desire to leave this enchanted realm even if they were given the option. They were content here— the trees protected their very essences."

Impa slows down and I follow in step as she comes to a stop before a large tree trunk and runs her fingers along its grooves.

"The most innocent yet content of all the races here in Hyrule. We could have learned a thing or two from them." She gives a small chuckle and I think about how strange the noise sounds coming from her lips. "Small children that lived forever. Immortal lives. They built the simplest and most amiable society to ever knowingly exist, they lived in perfect harmony while the world outside reigned in wars and politics."

Her faint smile falters then completely falls and she removed her fingers from the tree bark.

"Then we Hylians stole them from their sanctuary and murdered them in cold blood. One by one."

I involuntarily become as rigid as her tone, her words echoing in my head.

Impa hangs her head low. "Damir's orders of course. That was the beginning of my resistance that I created in retaliation. Most of the citizens of Kakariko sided with me due to their loyalty before the throne was seized. However, it was still a pitiful number compared to the king's forces— he had the Hylian guard at his fingertips, not to mention nearly the entire brainwashed Hyrulean population. He convinced them that the Kokiri were the perpetrators for King Daphnes' demise, they used their magic and herbs of the forest to poison the king."

"But you just said that the Kokiri were unable to leave the forest!" I interject.

Impa closes her eyes and sighs, "Precisely. I had assumed that most of the citizens were aware of that. However, they were desperate to put their trust in this man. The truth no longer mattered."

My face contorts in to anger, "They're fools! Why would they do such a thing?"

I watch as she opens her blood-red eyes and stares into my own, "You must understand that Hyrule was in a state of absolute insanity when King Daphnes passed. There was no heir to carry on the legacy and to rule the throne. No authority, no one to look up to in guidance. Most people needed that and Hyrule, once the most prosperous country in all the realm, was crumbling right before their eyes." Impa blinks and her gaze softens, "Many people are not as strong as you and I."

I stand with my fists clenched at my side and I stare at her until she turns away. As strong as her and I?

"Impa."

She folds her hands behind her cloaked back, they meet just under the symbol of the eye.

"Why are you telling me all this? I'm an outsider. I'm not even Hylian."

I watch as she tilts her face towards the night sky, bathing in the warmth of the canopy of trees. The moonlight catches on her features and I notice the scar the runs down the side of her mouth more prominently.

"Because you are not an outsider."

My eyebrows furrow together in confusion. This woman should not only be dead but she's insane as well.

She abruptly turns around to face me and I shiver as the moonlight makes her eyes glint a pure shade of red, if only for a moment. "You house something deep inside of you, something that only the truest of Hylians are blessed with."

I take a step back and wince as a twig breaks underneath my boot. It echoes in the quiet forest and Impa responds by moving even closer.

"Why do you think Damir kept you alive? Even while torturing you? If you hadn't been so foolish then he would have never been able to catch your scent. But you released your magic anyways, right in front of him, may I add."

Another step backwards. "How did you…"

"And Malon? She volunteered herself back in Castletown because she figured it out far sooner than I. She sacrificed herself to protect what you are. She had them fooled and it would have bought us more time, but you escaped and had to go rescue her." Her eyes burn red and my heart is racing with adrenaline. No. This can't be true. She has to be lying.

"But Malon is my—"

"Your friend? Tell me. What are the chances that someone who had lived to tell about Damir's siege on the throne and the downfall of Hyrule, someone who had escaped his clutches, found you of all people, lying in a field unconscious and vulnerable?"

I swallow and my back presses up against a tree. Malon, but she…

"You think all of this is a coincidence? I figured it out the moment Vaine and Noire came looking for you in Kakariko— I knew what the consequences would be if Damir got his hands on you."

My eyes dart to the side and my mind begins to hurriedly process an escape route before the palm of a hand slams into the bark besides my face and my eyes jerk back to stare into Impa's powerful gaze.

"He knows now, he knows what you are. That is why we have taken you to the sacred forest of the Kokiri, but this will only buy us a fraction of the time that we need. Do you understand?"

I shake my head. I'm trembling. "You've got the wrong person. I'm not…I'm—"

Another palm slams and I flinch, shutting my eyes tightly until I feel a hand forcefully grab my chin. "Look at me girl, look at me!"

I hesitantly open an eye and attempt to withdraw into myself.

"Do you realize the enormous amount of power that you hold? Or the lengths that people like Damir are willing to go to obtain it? Yes, there are others, much stronger and more purely evil than he could ever hope to be and they are coming for you."

I involuntarily let out a whimper and attempt to look away again but Impa holds my chin in a firm grip. "Yes, you should be frightened. These people— these _things _will do far worse things than kill you if they seize you and your power. And now Damir knows and he will stop at nothing to find you once more, he is most likely tearing apart Hyrule as we speak in his search. Many innocent men, women, and children, are dying because of you. Do you _understand? _This is no game. You are not an ordinary peasant Calatian girl and you will do well to stop acting as such. I pray to the Goddesses that we do not stumble upon the likes of Vaine, because if it so happens that we do then we are in absolute peril."

I'm shaking my head once more, out of confusion, denial, or fear, I'm uncertain. "Noire he— he killed you, how—"

Impa makes a gruff noise through her nose, "No. I ended his life, not the other way around. I am not the last remaining Sheikah for nothing, girl. What I did was put on a show for Vaine so that he would leave and retreat back to the castle—"

"With me in his arms!"

"I underestimated their growth in power and I would have died attempting to take them both on. After your first magical demonstration back in Kakariko we all knew what was potentially lying dormant inside of you, but it wasn't proven until you gave yourself away to Damir. I prayed that you wouldn't do something so foolish and yet it seems as though you did regardless. I was too late in my heroic rescue it seems."

I keep my mouth closed as the last words leave Impa's lips and I watch as her body visibly relaxes and she lets my chin go, taking a step back. I bring up a hand of my own in its absence and absently stroke where her tight grip left an aching bruise.

"He said— Damir, he said that I had the Triforce of Wisdom. You asked me about something similar back in Kakariko, what… what is that?"

Half of Impa's mouth is pulled down into a deep frown and she once again folds her hands behind her back, "That, girl, is the very power that threatens to end the entire realm if it falls into the wrong hands and it is only one of three."

"There are two more Triforce of Wisdom's?"

"No. Wisdom is only one piece to the puzzle. Courage and Power make up the rest, completing the Triforce as a unified whole. It is only folklore amongst commoners and the majority of Hyrule, even though it is the very divine relic that symbolizes our nation. This is because the truth of the Triforce would only create chaos. Those entrusted by the Goddesses to protect the Triforce are the only ones who know of its existence. Unfortunately, by some kind of divine cruel twist of fate, sometimes those chosen are corrupt individuals and are presented with the very tools that are needed to do what they wish with the world. More often than not it is the Triforce of Power that seeks out these immoral beings, desiring the strongest of suitors as its host."

I'm instantly reminded of the first time I had seen the symbol of the Triforce glowing on the back of Vaine's bare hand and the electrifying connection between us. He's strong. A memory of his brute strength when I attempted to fight for Malon. He's ruthless. His order to kill Impa, to burn Kakariko and everyone within it. He must wield it— the Triforce of Power.

"Do you… do you know where the other pieces reside?"

Impa solemnly shakes her hand and averts her gaze, "No. I haven't been able to locate them. Damir has had a fixation on Wisdom for quite some time but I haven't heard news of his interest in Courage or Power. I had wondered if he already had them in his possession but if that were true then he could do as little as snap his fingers and you would have not only been found, but dead before a scream could be uttered."

I shiver as my thoughts linger on Vaine. If that were true then why has he not done such a thing with his Triforce of Power? More importantly, why did he bother to warn me about showing my magic in front of Damir if that seemed to be his goal in helping him, regardless? I decide to withhold this information from Impa until I'm certain of the answer myself.

"Do you know where we are?" she asks, suddenly changing the topic of conversation.

I shake my head, looking around at the humming forest as though it will give me a clue.

"We're now in thick of what is known as the Lost Woods, located just outside of the Kokiri Forest."

I watch as she makes her way over to another large tree trunk, evidence of how old it must be. She runs another bandaged finger along the furrows of its bark. "Once you're inside it's impossible to find your way through the maze of trees. The forest's magical properties entrap anyone who dares to set foot upon its soil."

My brow lines with worry. She seems so calm, but aren't we in the very situation that she seems to be describing?

"The beings that these woods manage to capture within their grasp are transformed into Stalfos and Skull Children… people that have become warped into monsters due to their dark fears and desires. No matter how truly pure the person had been, the Lost Woods will always bring their most sinister thoughts to the surface until they become them."

Impa slowly turns around on her heel until she faces me, one hand still touching the bark of the tree.

"Do you see? Only those with the sacred power bestowed from the Goddesses can find their way back home."

I'm shaking my head out of disbelief again because I know what she means. I seem to be doing a lot of that lately.

"Only you can lead us back to the safety of Kokiri Forest."

"I can't… I'm not—"

"Stop telling me you can't! You will because you are!" Impa rounds on me once more, her red gaze aflame.

I'm breathing heavily, panic is threatening to seize my body.

"This is not a game anymore. This is life or death, and I'm going to make sure you understand this," she snaps. "Now you must calm yourself and listen. It is the only way you will be able to hear the sounds of the forest telling you which direction to head in."

I swallow the lump that had formed in my throat and close my eyes, willing myself to count the number of seconds that tick by and pace my breathing. I don't hear any sounds of the forest or whatever she called them. I only hear the chirping of crickets and the humming of bull frogs in the distance. I want to laugh to myself. This is ridiculous. If someone had told me long ago this is where I will be by the next winter solstice I would have called them crazy. But here I am, standing in the midst of a soul sucking forest listening for "its sounds". I'm losing it.

My ear suddenly perks as I hear something in the distance that breaks the flow of the insect choir. It's faint but it almost sounds like a flute playing a hauntingly joyous tune.

I don't bother to question it at this point, instead I begin to make my way towards to the music until it becomes clearly audible.

"This way," I say to Impa as I open my eyes. Before I look away I could have sworn I saw a faint smirk on her crooked lips.

She follows me as I lead her through the twisting tree trunks and the tangled roots that threaten to grab our ankles. Then before I know it, as though only a few seconds had gone by, I'm staring at the tiny wooden buildings and the glowing fireflies of Kokiri Forest once more.

"This can't be…"

Impa turns to me, "You followed the song of the ocarina, did you not?"

"The… ocarina?"

She nods, "Yes. The sacred instrument of the Goddesses. Not many Hylians possess one, only those of the Royal Family and the children of the forest."

A flash of blue. I'm standing in front of an alter with a small object in my hands and I bring it to my lips. Another flash and I'm throwing the object after the boy clothed in green, it lands in a moat. I've seen this many times before.

"Has there ever been… a blue ocarina? One with the symbol of the Triforce on the mouthpiece?"

Impa looks at me as though I have spoken out of line. I've never seen her so surprised before. It's almost comical.

"Yes…" she says slowly, eying me carefully as she does so. "How do you know of such a thing?"

"I've seen it, several times in my dreams. I always have it in my hands, sometimes I'm playing it and sometimes I…"

Impa narrows her eyes in confusion.

"Sometimes I see it from afar," I finish, choosing to withhold the information about the boy in green for now. I don't particularly want to get into that subject.

She lets out a soft "hmm" and turns away, folding her arms across her chest and staring at the great expanse of meadow before us. I want to ask her more about the ocarina but by the look on her face I have a feeling I won't get very much information out of her. I decide to ask a more neutral question instead.

"So… what now?"

"Now we wait, until you are healed enough to travel. Then we seek out the wielder of the Triforce of Courage before Damir does. And most importantly, keep you protected."

I swallow and turn my back to her, staring up at the pink-tinted sky. Evidence of the sun's dawn.

I get the feeling that I won't be able to live as a simple Calatian girl ever again. I never heard Impa once say anything resembling a "once this is over"— only fighting and running. For as long as it takes.

Or until I die.

* * *

><p>When we arrive back at the wooden tree house, the sun is almost completely visible in the morning sky and the chitterings of birds are in full chorus. I'm conflicted because I still have so many things to ask Impa and frankly, I don't think I'll ever have all my questions answered. However, I'm about to drop to the floor from exhaustion so I don't bother to argue with her when she dismisses me to my tree house and she disappears in the opposite direction. I still don't understand how she does that.<p>

But when I finish climbing the ladder and approach the open doorway, I see a figure sitting on my bed, her red hair gleams in the pink light that streams across the room.

"Hey."

"Hey yourself," I snap crankily. Not only am I tired but I don't exactly feel like playing twenty questions with her right now in an effort to figure out exactly how many lies she's told me. I shuffle into the room with a small limp, my stomach has begun to ache again.

"I see you've been out for a while."

"Oh? Keeping tabs on me now?" I watch as she visibly flinches at my tone, a part of me feels bad because this is the first time I've seen her without being in a state of blinding pain since I thought she had been killed. But another part of me can't stop thinking about how every interaction we've ever had hasn't even been genuine.

"Reina… why are you—"

"How long, Malon?"

She shakes her head in confusion, "What? I don't…"

"How long have you been _lying _to me?"

She continues to stare at me dumbfounded. I go ahead and take the opportunity.

"Was it the hundredth time we cleaned out the stables together? Or was it when you were teaching me how to ride a horse for the first time? Or how about when you found me in that field outside your house?"

"Are Finn and Ellie even your children?" I tack on.

"How dare you," she abruptly stands to her feet, anger lacing her pretty features. Good, I finally got a reaction out of her.

"Well, I'd have no way of knowing now would I?" I retort, throwing my hands in the air in exasperation.

"I don't understand where this is coming from but you have no right—"

"Oh, I think you understand _perfectly _where this is coming from! Answer me this one question: how long have you known Impa?" I watch as she immediately opens her mouth to speak, "And don't even _think _about lying again." She closes it with an angry exhale.

Seconds tick by and she closes her eyes after a while, hopefully thinking about the truth for once.

"Since I had lived in Hyrule as a girl."

"That's all I needed to know," I spit and turn on my heel to leave the house.

"Reina! Wait! Please, you don't understand!"

"I think I understand more than you'd like to believe!" I round on her. "Impa told me. She told me about your sacrifice at Castletown. See, I just thought you were being stupid like usual. Putting me before yourself again. But no, I find out it's because I'm a part of some larger 'divine plan set forth by the Goddesses'. You didn't save me for me, you only saved me so they wouldn't take my power!"

"And use it to wreak havoc upon Hyrule!" she screams back. "If I hadn't done what I did then we wouldn't be here right now, we would be dead! Or worse!"

My mind is reeling a mile a minute. I'm seething with anger but I can see the truth to her words. I begin to panic, afraid that I look foolish for being so trivial about lies that actually kept me and the entire realm safe. In response it only escalates my fury.

"It doesn't matter! I _trusted _you, Lynn!" I retort immaturely, using her fake name as emphasis. It seems to create the reaction that I wanted because she looks as though I've just slapped her. "I can't trust you anymore! Lying about your name was one thing, but you knew. You _knew _what I was capable of and the people that were set on finding me for it!"

To my surprise she looks down to her feet. I notice her shoulders tremble. When she faces me again her cheeks are stained with tears.

"I had to," she breathes, her voice raw with emotion. "I had to protect you, even if that meant from yourself. I had to protect you and Hyrule. Impa and I decided upon this as soon as you began to have your dreams. We knew what they meant. We had been waiting for you to appear. Keeping you in the dark was our _only _option."

"Waiting for me…" I repeat slowly in disbelief. I notice Malon's eyes suddenly go wide with alarm, she probably realized how hurt I really am. A part of me swells at that thought. "You weren't waiting for _me. _You were waiting for the Triforce of Wisdom!"

"And now, thanks to you, we've found it," I hear a ragged voice whisper in my ear before I feel a large gloved hand clamp down on my mouth from behind. I scream but it's so muffled that it's no more than a gasp.

Malon shouts my name and lunges for me but she's too slow. I let out a cry as a shoulder digs into my abdomen and I'm swung off of the ground. The next thing I know I'm being hurtled towards the canopies of trees. I feel my stomach in my mouth— the sensation of falling, then more pain shooting through my gut as we land. I'm forced to close my eyes as we move through the trees at a breakneck pace and all I see are blurs of green.

When we finally come to a stop, I'm unceremoniously dumped on the ground and I let out another yelp of pain. After my eyesight finally becomes clear and I rub out the bits of dirt and leaf particles from them, I'm able to see who my captor is.

"Noire," I gasp.

He flashes a cocky smile from beneath his hood, "In the flesh, sweetie. Quite literally."


End file.
